A New Pokemon Adventure
by yoganhagan
Summary: A new Advnture in the world of pokemon. James is starting out on his journey in Hoenn to one day compete in the pokemon league. He travels across Hoenn, and to fiore, all the while returning to his home town of Fortree to attend classes under Falkner
1. Chapter 1

A New Pokemon Adventure

Chapter 1 – The first Pokemon

James opened his eyes. Sunlight was spilling through the open window, and a taillow was standing on the window sill, singing its little heart out. James pulled the pillow out from under his head and put it over his face in an effort to block out the noise. A taillow had woken him up two mornings in a row now, and he was pretty sure it was the same one. Suddenly the singing stopped. James sighed with relief. He heard a thump, and he looked up. On the floor was the taillow, and its little yellow beak was deep inside his last apple. James loved apples.

"Hey!" James shouted at the flying pokemon, who gave a whistle and flew into the air, its huge eyes laughing at him. James bent down to pick up the apple, and deemed it too eaten already to be bothered with. He threw it out the window. The taillow chirped happily and flew out after it. James stretched. According to the clock on his wall, it was half past six, which meant he had one and a half hours before the pokemon lab run by Professor Birch opened, and he let ten new pokemon trainers into his lab to pick his or her first pokemon. James stretched, before getting up and attempting to find his shirt and pants. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, and put on some thin jeans. He then made sure he had packed everything he had brought with him in his huge hiking backpack, and put his black cap and sunglasses on his head. He had to be out of the pokemon center by ten o'clock anyway, and after he had gotten his first pokemon, he doubted he would be back.

Nearly a week ago, he had been celebrating his fifteenth birthday, delighted with the fact that he had finally reached the age where his over protective parents would let him become a trainer. Although law stated that children could receive their first pokemon at the age of eleven, and they could legally challenge a pokemon gym at the age of twelve, James's parents had forbade James from getting a pokemon until he was fifteen, because they were worried that he couldn't handle it. But, at the age of fifteen they agreed to let him get a pokemon. They booked him a flight down to Littleroot and he was there the day after his birthday. That same day he had booked into the pokemon center, and called the pokemon lab to get an appointment. Today was the day, for him and a few other new pokemon trainers, to get their first of many pokemon, and begin the rest of their lives.

James stepped out of the door, not bothering to close it behind him, and walked to the stairs down to the ground floor of the center. He walked into the eating area of the center, that was set out rather like a McDonalds, and walked up to the counter and ordered a plate of pancakes, and a red bull. James wolfed down the pancakes and chucked the Styrofoam packet into a bin, before cracking open the red bull. James walked out of the eating area, and into the front door of the center.

"Good luck choosing your pokemon." The nurse at the front desk wished him as James walked past. She knew that today was the day, as James had needed to ask her for the pokemon labs number to make the appointment.

"Thanks." James said, walking out, sipping his drink.

Outside, the morning sun shone down upon the water, and reflected off the many ships hulls into James's eyes. The Littleroot pokemon center was located right next to the Littleroot docks. James walked along until he reached a bus stop, and waited at it with a few other people, all of whom were adults who were too old to possibly be going to the pokemon lab. After a few minutes of waiting the bus pulled up, and James and the others got on. James found a window seat, and sat staring out of the window, thinking about his first pokemon. He came from Fortree City, which was located in the middle of a lush forest. James was used to going on walks and seeing majestic swellow flying through the trees, giant tropius trampling the undergrowth, feasting on bananas, and kecleon jumping out of no where to steal your lunch. In Littleroot however there were no giant tropius, instead there were zigzagoon, rummaging through dumpsters. There were no swellow, instead only their pre-evolved form: the tiny, annoying taillow. And no kecleon lurked in the shadows, instead feral poochyena lurched in alleyways, snapping at passersby. James just couldn't see why Littleroot was so popular as a travel destination, when Fortree just seemed so much better to him. Maybe it was the humidity in Fortree.

James got off the bus at his stop, and walked for a bit down the road. Before long the asphalt road had turned to dirt, and the houses became fewer, until there was only one in site, a single building in the distance. As James walked toward it, he noticed two things. Firstly: it wasn't a single building, but a house, and next to it what was unmistakably a laboratory. The second thing was that there was a large collection of people outside the house. There was easily twenty kids standing about, looking nervous or excited, all of them much younger then James and all of them accompanied by a parent. James stopped a little apart from the group, so to prevent any embarrassing words the parents were muttering about him from reaching his ears. According to his watch he was right on time but the front door of the lab didn't open for about five minutes. When it did finally open, Professor Birch stood there, warm and welcoming.

"Hello, hello, I'm Professor Birch, and this is my lab. Today you will all receive you first pokemon. If I may ask those who are receiving pokemon to move forward, and their parents and caregivers to please stay outside." There was a scramble as the kids all hurried toward the doors. James allowed the kids to move ahead of him, trying to look cool. Professor Birch was waving the kids past him into the lab.

"Hello, aren't you a bit old for your first pokemon?" Birch asked James as he reached him.

"Yea," James answered, "My parents told me I couldn't have a pokemon till I was fifteen." Birch nodded sympathetically.

"Awe yes. That happens all the time, not to worry, you're not alone." Birch told him, and closed the door behind them. Birch then walked to the front of the group of kids, and started leading them through his lab. James stayed at the back, feeling as if he were on a primary school excursion. Eventually they stopped at a door which birch slid open to reveal a room where the floor was covered in synthetic grass, and there was a plastic gate behind the door to stop small pokemon from escaping when the door was open. And indeed there were small pokemon in the room. There were a few zigzagoon running in zigzags, a shallow pool where some mudkip played, a corner that had a heat lamp above it and some fluffy torchic lying in the heat. But the one species that had James interested were the treeckos, who were playing on the walls.

"Take whatever pokemon you want, just one each, and when you've chosen just stay where you are until I've reached you." Birch told the group. The kids all set out to examine the pokemon. Most of them seemed to have already chosen, and headed straight for a particular species. A few wandered about, looking at each one, or went to Birch with a pokemon several times before they had chosen the one they really wanted.

"Remember, you will be able to capture all of these pokemon in the wild if you want." Birch told the group. James walked around, moving through the kids and their new pokemon, until he reached the stretch of wall that the treeckos were clinging to. Once, a few years ago, when he was in the forest, he saw a flash of green shoot past him. He had no idea what it was, so when he asked about it at the pokemon center, the nurse told him that it must have been a scetpile-a pokemon so fast and agile in the forest it was supposed to be impossible to capture. The only way to get one was to capture one of its pre-evolved forms-those too terribly hard to capture-or receive a treecko as your first pokemon. Ever since that day he had wanted a treecko, and now it was his chance. But he wasn't going to have any treecko; he wanted the fastest, the best.

"BAH" James shouted, making a mock jump at the treecko, who all scattered, apart from one. The remaining treecko glared at him, and its eyes turned red. James took a step back, and realized it must be using a leer attack. But he realized it too late. The treecko jumped off the wall, straight at him, and it him in the face with a powerful slam of his tail. James staggered, and tried to lunge at the treecko, but the wood gecko pokemon was too fast for him. The treecko jumped away, using a quick attack, jumped off a girls head and high up on the wall. Professor Birch came over.

"Hey," James asked the professor, "How strong is this treecko? Like, compared to the others?"

"They are too young to be compared James, but I have noticed that this one is rather cocky, rather stubborn, and a bit of a show off." Birch told him. James considered the treecko. All the television shows said that have a stubborn pokemon was good, as a stubborn pokemon won't give up as easy. But they are also hard to train. Being cocky and a show off as well would probably mean that James could rely on it winning whatever battle it was in, as long as there was an audience.

"I'll take it." James said. Birch smiled and handed James a pokeball with a leaf symbol on the front of it. James looked at it for a second. He had never seen a real pokeball so close up before. It looked smaller on television. It was roughly the size and weight of a softball, which was good, as all kids learnt how to throw softballs expertly at school, now he knew why. James looked up at the treecko on the wall. It was eyeing him. James's arm went above his head and he threw the ball, overhand, up to the treecko. He thought for a moment that he had missed, and that the ball would come falling down and he would look a complete idiot. Instead however, he had the sneaking suspicion that the treecko had moved its tail slightly, and the ball smacked into it, opening, and absorbing the pokemon into it with a flash of red light. The pokeball fell down, and James caught it in the hand that had thrown it. The treecko inside made the ball wobble slightly, as if to confirm that it was inside. James smiled, and pressed the button on the front of the ball to shrink it.


	2. Chapter 2

A new Pokemon Adventure

Chapter 2 – first day of school

"James! Get up, or else you'll be late for school!" James's mum called from outside his door. Of course, she couldn't actually get in, that was what the lock was for.

"Yep, I'm up." James told her, and struggled out of bed. He had gotten back home last night, but that didn't stop his mother from telling him that he had to go to Pokemon Trainers School. James walked over to his cupboard, and pulled out his cloths. He had been going to Pokemon Trainers School for a few years now, and he enjoyed it, it was only the getting-up-in-the-morning part that he didn't like. The school was the best way for beginner trainers to begin their Pokemon journey. The school was not compulsory, and could be attended by people of any age. There were classes battling, tactics, Pokemon types, Pokemon species, environments, and Pokemon relations as well as many other topics. There were too many classes for one person to take all of them, so it was completely up to the students to choose what subjects they wanted to do. From what he had heard, the best class was battle practice, but he had never been allowed to participate because he didn't have a Pokemon until today.

At the breakfast table, James's dad was discussing his latest get-rich-quick plan with his mum over a plate of bacon and eggs.

"We can farm tropius!" He said with delight. "Everyone loves tropius fruit!"

"Tropius don't fruit in captivity, otherwise they would sell tropius fruit in the supermarkets wouldn't they?" James's mum said. Usually it was her that stood in the way of her husbands plans. But she was right. For tropius to produce fruit, they needed to live in the rainforests around Fortree city. There were people who lived on the outskirts of the rainforest, who constantly went hunting for tropius fruit and sold them at the markets. Aside from that however, tropius fruit was in short supply, and it was expensive.

"Well," James's dad said, "we could have a herd of tropius, but they could live in the forest, and they could come out in the afternoon, we can collect the fruit, package them, then sell them in the market the next day! What could go wrong?"

"The tropius could run away and never come back." James said. His dad's face fell. "Anyway I think I should be going" James said, in an effort to get away from his dads disappointment. James shoveled the last of his bacon into his mouth, checked that his treecko was in its pokeball in his pocket, along with some cash, and got up to leave. He let his mother kiss him on the cheek, waved goodbye to his dad, then walked out, but when he reached the front gate, his father stopped him.

"Son, wait," James turned around. His father was there. James wondered whether his father was about to ask him about his tropius farm, when he pushed something into his hand. It was a belt.

"It's a special belt, it holds pokeballs, Pokemon trainers who make it to the Pokemon league use them." His father told him. James looked at the belt. It had six small suction cups on it, just the right size for a reduced pokeball.

"Thanks dad." He said. His father smiled.

"Your going to be a great trainer, I know it."

When James reached the Schools Colosseum where battle classes were held, there was a crowd of people outside. At the back of the group was a boy in a white shirt with long sleeves and a pair of jeans. James recognized him from sight but they had never spoken before.

"Hi, why are we waiting out here?" James asked him.

"The instructor hasn't got here yet." The boy told him. "You new here?"

"At the Colosseum yes, I just got my first Pokemon, I'm James."

"I'm Wally, what poke…" Wally was interrupted by the doors to the colosseum opening. James couldn't see the person in front because of the crowd of people, but he could hear him, because the instant he appeared the crowd went silent.

"Hello everyone, forward in please." A man's voice said. It was powerful and strong, full of authority. As James and Wally reached the door, James got a look at the instructor, and revived a shock. It was Falkner – the Cities gym leader.

"Falkner's the instructor? Why?" James whispered to Wally. Wally shrugged.

"Why else would be better to teach Pokemon battling?"

The lesson started with some theory. Falkner talked about type advantages, and how Pokemon moves are more successful on certain types of Pokemon then they are on others. James noticed many of the students writing notes, but many weren't, so he didn't either. After a while, Falkner split the trainers into pairs and stationed them at points in the Colosseum. Every trainer was getting restless and nervous, and James could feel it too. He knew what was going to happen next. They were about to battle. For James it would be his first battle ever. Sure, he had watched countless battle on television and learnt about them for most of his life, but actually battling would be something else.

"This will be a one-on-one Pokemon battle," Falkner was saying, walking amongst the groups of trainers, "and a winner will be decided when one of the participating Pokemon had fainted. One side can forfeit any time. Send out your Pokemon." James was partnered with a girl about his age. She had black hair with a streak of red at the front. She was wearing black leather jeans and a black singlet. She looked deadly serious; attractive, but serious. James pulled his only pokeball from his belt, and could feel treecko inside, as eager as he was to battle for the first time. James knew treeckos moves, and they had trained a bit yesterday. He was confident that he would be able to do well. He pressed the button in the center of the ball, and it broke open and treecko was expelled in a flash of light. Treecko looked around. They were standing in the middle of the room, with no walls to climb and the ceiling was too far up to reach. James could see treecko shrug, and he smiled. Or at least he did until the girl threw her pokeball and out came a Pokemon that he didn't know the name of. But he knew from the flame spurting from its back that it was a fire type.

"You're a new trainer aren't you?" the girl called.

"Yea, I'm…I'm James." He managed to reply.

"Lyra, and this is quilava." Lyra replied. Quilava stretched.

"Begin!" Falkner yelled.

"Quick Attack!" Lyra yelled, and Quilava dashed forward.

"You use Quick Attack too!" James told Treecko, who nodded, and dashed forward. The two Pokemon ran at each other. Quilava nipped at Treecko and Treecko dodged, and returned with a pound with its tail. The two Pokemon were almost the same speed, with Quilava only slightly faster. But treecko on two legs was more agile.

"Flamethrower!" Lyra yelled at Quilava, who obeyed with a burst of fire from its mouth.

"Dodge it!" James yelled at treecko, who did indeed just manage to dodge the fire, but not for long. Quilava had the advantage with the huge jet of flame, and Treecko was hit almost straight away. That was too much for the grass Pokemon. Flames engulfed it, and when they cleared, Treecko was passed out.

James ran to his Pokemon. Treecko was knocked out, but it was breathing, and it had no serious burns. James pressed the button on his pokeball and treecko was taken back inside. James could feel himself burning with embarrassment. He almost felt like crying, but he wouldn't embarrass himself further. He felt a hand on his back. At first he thought it was Lyra, or maybe Wally, but Lyra was away patting Quilava and Wally was still battling. It was Falkner.

"Its ok, was this your first battle?" He asked. James nodded. "Well that's ok, everyone loses the first battle, I've never heard of one that didn't. And if you don't lose once in a while, what's going to persuade you to get any better?" James smiled. "And remember," Falkner added as an afterthought, "Someone always has to lose. This may have been a loss for you, but it was a win for someone else. Just imagine how special this victory would have been for you. That's how the other person is feeling now. So don't feel sorry for yourself, feel happy for them." James realized he was right. He smiled, and went to congratulate Lyra, all the while trying to think of the best Pokemon to take down a Quilava.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Teamwork Issues

"Treecko use pound!" James shouted,

"Nuzleaf, Faint Attack!" James's battle partner, a boy called Alex, shouted. Treecko ran at the Nuzleaf, swinging its tail to whack the Nuzleaf across the face. However the Nuzleaf simply disappeared. Treecko looked around frantically for its lost foe, but then received a kick in the back from Nuzleaf, who had crept up from behind. Treecko collapsed to the floor.

"Pound again!" James shouted.

"Pound as well!" Alex shouted to his Nuzleaf. The Nuzleaf went to punch Treecko, but instead of Treecko blocking the blow with its tail, as James had planned, Treecko jumped out from underneath Nuzleaf. Nuzleaf punched the ground, then looked around, trying to find its opponent.

"On the wall Nuzleaf, fire a Bullet Seed!" Alex shouted. Nuzleaf started spraying huge seeds at Treecko, who covered its head with its hands.

"Treecko use your Bullet Seed!" James shouted desperately. If only Treecko would listen to him. Unfortunately however treecko hadn't listened to a word James had said since they had lost to Lyra and her Quilava. Treecko darted out from the barrage of seeds and started running at Nuzleaf, performing a Quick Attack.

"NO TREECKO!" James shouted. He knew what Alex would do to such a front on attack.

"Faint Attack!" Alex shouted, and just as Treecko reached Nuzleaf it seemed to vanish. Then Nuzleaf was behind Treecko and Treecko had no time to react. He was kicked in the face with all Nuzleaf could muster, and Treecko was knocked out cold.

James pressed the button on his leaf embroidered pokeball and Treecko was sent back inside with a flash of light. Then he shook hands with Alex and congratulated him.

"You got any idea of what to do with that Treecko?" Alex asked. James shook his head.

"He won't listen to me so we keep losing battles. I think if we won a battle together he might realize that working together works, but he won't listen to me at all."

"Shame," Someone behind James said. He turned around to find his battle instructor Falkner standing there. "That Treecko is strong, if you got it listening to you, you two would probably start winning straight away."

"Any idea how to do that?" James asked. Falkner thought for a moment.

"You might try capturing a new Pokemon." He suggested.

"NO WAY!" James said, "I'm not replacing Treecko, no way!" Falkner held his hands up to stem the tide of James's words.

"I'm not suggesting that you do. I am merely saying that, with another Pokemon on your team winning while Treecko loses, Treecko might become jealous. Treecko seems to me to be a Pokemon who loves attention. When you get another Pokemon who works with you, and wins, while Treecko rejects you and loses, Treecko might eventually realize that the only way to win and look cool is to fight _with_ you, not against you."

"Ok, any Pokemon in particular?" James asked. He wasn't sure whether Falkner's plan would work, but at least he would have another Pokemon.

"No, that doesn't matter. Just pick one that attracts you, and preferably one that enjoys battling."

_One that enjoys battling_ James thought all the way through his next class on Pokemon types. The teacher – Mr. Samuel – must have known pretty much every Pokemon in existence, as he could answer any question a student had about a particular Pokemon with ease. James wondered whether he could help him. So, after class, he approached Samuel's desk.

"Yes James, what can I do for you?" Samuel asked. Samuel was quite young compared to most of the other teachers. He was about thirty, and apparently took the job as a teacher when he had gotten tired of being on a Pokemon journey and wanted to settle down.

"Um, I'm kinda after a new Pokemon," James said, kind of awkwardly, "One that enjoys battling, do you know of any, in the area, that I could catch."

"Well," Samuel said, stroking his chin, "The most obvious choice is a Carvanha." James's stomach dropped at the very thought of owning a Carvanha. Carvanha were vicious fish Pokemon that lived in the jungles next to Fortree City. As James lived on the outskirts of the city, he had often gone fishing in the jungle, and indeed catching Carvanha. The trick when you caught a Carvanha on a fishing rod was to cut the line. Carvanha were vicious, and attacked wildly at anyone they could see. Their body was covered in sharp scales and their fins were jagged. Groups of Carvanha had been known to take down massive Tropius, and James could still remember seeing a news report of a boat of tourists that had sunk in the jungle. The police were certain that all twenty-two of the tourists and the staff on board had been eaten by Carvanha. What added to their fearsome reputation was the fact that Carvanha teeth made excellent cutting tools, and often boys would wear necklaces made of Carvanha teeth. James had one himself, although he never wore it.

"Aren't Carvanha really, really dangerous?" James asked. Samuel nodded.

"Yes, they're quite dangerous, but quite easy to train. You reward them with bits of meat when they've won battles you see, and you keep them well fed so they don't attack enemy Pokemon for food."

"How much food do they take?" James asked.

"Not much at all actually, only a few hundred grams of meat, Carvanhas aren't that big. And they're very easy to catch. In fact I can show you a pond on a map that is literarily full of Carvanhas."

"Ok, so where is this place?" James asked, finally giving in.

A few hours later James and his dad were sitting on the bank of the pond that Samuel had shown James. They had their fishing rods in the water, and they were waiting for the Carvanha to bite.

"Tranquility: absolute silence, apart from the sound of nature." James's dad said to himself. James rolled his eyes, quite thankful that he hadn't asked Wally to come and fish with them as well. Suddenly James's line gave a tug, and James jumped to his feet. He wound it in, feeling the thing on the other end put up a struggle.

"Oh, you have something James!" His dad was saying, as if James hadn't noticed yet. James kept reeling in, until a something red appeared on the surface of the water. It was a Carvanha, thrashing against the line. James lifted the helpless fish out of the water, so it was dangling in the air from James's line. He reached into his pocket, and withdrew a new pokeball. He pressed the center button, and the ball enlarged. Then James, not trusting in his ability to throw a pokeball accurately enough to hit the small fish, reached out to his line and touched the fish with the pokeball. The ball opened and in a flash of light, the Carvanha was taken inside. The pokeball wriggled violently, and James had the horrible feeling that he Carvanha would break out. But then the wriggling stopped, and the button on the pokeball flashed, signaling that the capture was complete. James suddenly felt a rush of pride at the achievement of capturing his first Pokemon. His father clapped him on the back.

"Yes." James said silently.

Back at his house James filled a plastic paddling pool with water. He needed somewhere to put the Carvanha when he wanted to let the Pokemon out of its ball. Treecko had the run of the house and the surrounding trees, and despite its lack of obedience in the colosseum, Treecko always came when called, as that mostly meant food. Carvanha however needed water, and as James had heard stories of Carvanha smashing glass tanks, he thought the plastic pool would be safer. When James thought the water level was sufficient for the fish, he reached for the right pokeball on his belt. Treeckos ball was the first slot on his right side, and he had decided to put Carvanha on the first spot on the left side. James pulled the pokeball from the belt and could feel Carvanhas weight in the small sphere. He pressed the button in the center of the ball to enlarge it, and then pressed it again to open the ball. With a flash of light Carvanha appeared in the paddling pool, smiling up at James, showing its teeth.

"Hey Carvanha, I'm your trainer now, all right?" James told it. He thought it was best to be as clear as possible with the dangerous Pokemon. He had done a bit of research on Carvanha training, and had learnt that they preferred fish or anything bloody to meat from land animals. "Now, if your good and behave, and don't eat any other Pokemon, and do EXACTLY what I tell you to do in battles, I'll feed you bloody lumps of yummy meat." James told it. Was he imagining it, or was the small fish's eyes show a longing for the food as he mentioned it? "If you don't behave though, I'll give you dry old meat." The Carvanha defiantly understood that. It darted backward at the prospect of old meat. "Good," James said, "Now let's get training."

The next day, James walked to the colosseum with two pokeballs on his belt. Carvanha had behaved excellently: performing the exact moves James asked for and following his directions to the letter. Obviously the threat of dry meat was too great, as even when a Swablu landed on the side of the pool and started to drink, Carvanha just simply glanced at the bird – easily small enough to take down – and returned to his training. James was so pleased with its behavior that, as well as giving it a piece of fish, he gave it some burley, which it loved, and he told it that it would get more if it won battles, but would never get any again if it attacked a Pokemon in any way without James telling it to. As the group of students filed into the colosseum, James told Falkner about his new Pokemon.

"Well done James." Falkner said. That day Falkner told them that he had to leave earlier then usual, so they would skip the theory lecture and go straight to battle practice. This statement was met with groans and then cheers from the students. After Falkner had divided them up into pairs however, James realized something. Carvanha was a water Pokemon, and completely dependant on water. There was no way it could battle in the colosseum as it wouldn't be able to breath with the lack of water. He told Falkner about this, but he merely laughed.

"James, do you seriously think that you're the first person to ever want to battle here with a water-dependant Pokemon?" Falkner asked, laughing. James didn't know what to say. In a way, he had assumed that. "Students with Pokemon who fly or swim battle outside, where flying Pokemon can use the whole sky and water types can use the pools. Josh can show you." Falkner said, plucking a student from the crowd. "Josh, this is James, he just got his first water type today, a Carvanha, don't go easy on him, but I want you to show him the way to the pools."

"Ok sure. Come on James." Josh said, and gestured for James to follow him out through the doors. "I come here every day, cause, well, I only train water types." Josh told him.

"Really? Why?" James asked. He was shocked. He had always thought that the only way to be a good trainer was to train a variety of Pokemon.

"I don't know, I just love how unique they are, they're all different, but all united by water."

"What happens when you fight an electric type, or a grass type?"

"I have a strategy that helps." Josh said, simply. They walked along a path from the colosseum, eventually coming to a building. Inside, the building was comprised of two rooms – a boys and girls changing rooms – separated by a hallway. They walked out through some open doors to an open courtyard. There were four pools filling the courtyard, each with a path running around the edge. Two of the pools had chunks of ice floating in them, and must have been terribly cold, while the other two had a collection of brightly colored mats floating on the surface of the water. They walked over to one of these. Josh walked over to the far side, and called over to James: "are you ready?"

"Just a second!" James called back. He pulled out both his pokeballs and pressed the button of one. Treecko appeared. "Treecko," James told the Pokemon, "Yesterday as you know, I caught a Carvanha, now I want to battle with it ok? But you can still watch." Treecko shrugged, pretending not to care, but James could have sworn that he saw a faint glimmer of sadness in Treeckos eyes. "GO CARVANHA!" James shouted, throwing his other pokeball into the air. It opened, and with a flash of light his newest Pokemon appeared and fell into the water. Carvanha didn't swim around, it simply took its bearings, glanced at James, who nodded, then turned to face Josh.

"Go Azumarill!" Josh said, throwing a blue net-ball into the air. Out popped an Azumarill, which splashed down into the water and immediately pulled itself up onto one of the mats.

"ARE BOTH TRAINERS READY?" yelled an umpire at the side of the pool who James hadn't even noticed, and scared James so much that he nearly fell into the pool.

"Yep," James managed to say. Josh nodded.

"BEGIN!" The umpire yelled.

"AZUMERILL, BUBBLEBEAM!" Josh yelled.

"Dive!" James yelled at Carvanha. Carvanha swam down deep into the pool, avoiding the Bubblebeam which didn't break the surface, then surged upward at the mat. Carvanha hit the mat directly underneath where Azumarill was standing, and sent her flying.

"ICE FANG!" James yelled, and Carvanha reacted instantly. It jumped out of the water after Azumarill and shot after it with a mouth full of frozen teeth.

"IRON TAIL!" Josh yelled, and the ball on his Pokemons tail turned to steel, and smashed into Carvanha. Carvanha was thrown back into the water, and with a great effort the fish swam to the surface again. James didn't get it. A steel move like Iron Tail shouldn't have much affect on a water type like Carvanha, but in this case it nearly knocked Carvanha out. Josh seemed to notice James's puzzled face.

"When two Pokemons moves clash, the move with a type advantage does much more damage then it normally would, just like if the Pokemon move had an advantage over the enemy type." Josh told him, as Azumarill landed on a mat, "It's still possible to repel moves at a type disadvantage, but it's much harder. Bubblebeam!" Azumarill spurted bubbles at Carvanha, who was still dazed from its recent hit and didn't dodge fast enough. The little fish was pushed along in the water, trying to resist the power of the attack. James thought furiously. This battle was almost over, he knew it. Carvanha was almost out, but he had enough energy for one last full power attack. James had to make it count. Then he remembered: the ultra sharp scales of Carvanha – Rough Skin.

"TAKE DOWN!" James yelled. Carvanha dived, escaping the bubblebeam, and surfaced slightly to the side. Carvanha surged forward, and when Azumarill started pelting it with bubbles again it didn't slow down. It had gained enough momentum to resist the bubbles. Carvanha jumped out of the water, straight at Azumarill, and hit the Pokemon right in the chest. Carvanhas scales ripped at the Pokemon, adding power to the attack, and Azumarill went flying to land out of the pool, passed out.

"JAMES IS THE WINNER!" The umpire announced. James was thrilled. HIS FIRST VICTORY! James knelt at the edge of the pool and spoke softly to Carvanha.

"Well done buddy." James told it. The tired little Pokemon looked happily up at its master, pleased for the battle to be over. "When we get home you can have as much burley as you want." James said, and sent the happy Pokemon back into its ball. Then James turned to thank Josh for the battle.  
"You did really well, you kinda caught me an Azumarill off guard, but we'll be ready next time." Josh said, shaking James's hand. Lastly, James turned to his original Pokemon.

"You know Treecko," James told it, "If you listened to me, you would win battles too. We would lose occasionally, sure, but we could win." Treecko simply looked at James for a moment. Then the wood gecko Pokemon ran forward, jumped into the air, landed hard on James's chest, then climbed up to sit on top of his head. _I'll take that as a yes._ James thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – The farmhouse

"I've done it!" James's dad said with delight.' He had just walked in the front door. He had gone into the city that morning without explaining to either James or his mum why. Now he was back, and he looked very worn out, but very happy.

"Done what?" James asked. He was standing in the kitchen, feeding his Carvanha which was floating in a bucket of water on the bench.

"I've got approval from the government; my Tropius farm is officially in business!" His dad said with delight. "Do you know where your mother is?"

"She went out to the shops," James told him, "So you actually are serious about this Tropius farm?"

"Yes, and I've thought it through too." His dad said, walking up to James and unfolding a map on the kitchen bench. James looked at it curiously. It was a map of Fortree. It showed the edges of the jungle, and the plans between the jungle and the city. James knew that these weren't just spares of grassland but farming country which was used to grow small amounts of crops in case the Shipments from other areas were delayed for some reason. The soil around Fortree was terribly poor, which made farming extremely hard. It was much easier to simply ship the food they needed from other parts of Hoenn. This also meant that it took very little time to travel from the middle of the city to the forest, as there was no need for the farming country to be large. In fact James's family lived in the country. Their house was located outside the main city in one of the many communities that were still legally part of Fortree but were located outside the main city. It took James about half an hour walk to get from his house to Pokemon Trainers School in the morning, which was in the middle of the city.

"Right there." James's dad said, pointing to a spot on the map.

"What's there?" James asked, squinting at the spot.

"There is a small house there which is structurally sound, and located right on the edge of the forest. The property has two floors, plumbing, electricity and a satellite. And there is a huge surrounding area that is all part of the property, and I got permission from the government to let you keep your pokemon there when you get over six." His dad told him. James, thinking it over, thought the house sounded great. Plumbing and electricity were a must, almost as important as the satellite was. And the fact that now he had somewhere to put his extra pokemon should he get more then six was a good one. The government had large farms where trainers could keep their extra pokemon, but this way James could look after his pokemon personally. Then it hit him. This was too good to be true.

"How could you afford something like that?" He asked. Now his father looked slightly nervous.

"The house is kinda…supposed to be…haunted."

"Great." James said, turning around to put his Carvanha back into its ball. Then he planned to go to his room and relax for a bit, maybe listen to some music. Ghost pokemon gave him the creeps. But before he could his dad interrupted him.

"You don't wanna help me clean the place up do ya son?"

So, later, the two of them were walking down the grassy hill that leads to the farmhouse. From the top of the hill it was a beautiful sight: The grassy planes that were broken only by the little house, a pond, and then the forest. James didn't want to be here, he hated ghosts. But when a dad asks whether you wanted to do something, they usually meant something like: 'you're going to do it whether you like it or not!' So James followed his father down the hill, holding Treeckos Pokeball in his hand. He hadn't brought Carvanha, as it was dependant on water and would be little use against ghosts in a haunted farmhouse. And his treecko had been completely obedient since he had gotten Carvanha. They walked up to the farmhouse, and James thought that if he hadn't already known that it was haunted he wouldn't have guessed. But, that was the point of a ghost pokemon, if the house looked haunted, no one would go inside and there would be no one to scare.

His father pushed open the door and marched inside.

"This place could use some cleaning up, but other then that it looks pretty good, what do you think, James?" His dad asked. James walked in, his pulse hammering. All of the curtains were closed, and there were no lights on, so apart from the light coming through the open door the entire house was dark. James flipped a light switch, but nothing happened.

"I thought you said this place had power." James asked, he was starting to get freaked out.

"It does, only it's not switched on at the power board at the side of the house I'll be right back." James's dad said, and walked out through the doorway. James turned to follow him, he wasn't staying in this house alone, but the door swung closed before he reached it. James grabbed at the door knob and pulled, but it was stuck fast. And it was cold. The door appeared to be freezing, and James could see his own breath in front of him. He shivered, wishing that he had a coat, before remembering that he didn't even own a coat, it was hot and humid all year round in Fortree. Then why was it cold now? It hadn't been when he had come in. James could see something glittering on the silver doorknob, and turned around to see a lump of blue fire floating in mid air. More fireballs started to erupt all around him, all floating in mid air. Then a red ball floated out from the ground and rose into the air. It wasn't a fire ball, but it was glowing. And as it turned around James realized with horror that it was an eye; a blood red, floating eye. James stumbled backward and walked into the door. He reached down and pulled off treeckos ball and pressed the centre button to enlarge the ball then again to open it. Treecko burst from the ball in a flash of light and landed on the floor. Treecko yawned and stretched.

"Treecko, wake up were battling here!" James told it. Treecko looked around at the floating balls of light, then around the room, trying to see whether there were any spectators to show off to. Seeing that there weren't, Treecko shrugged and turned to leave. The fireballs floating in the air flew down at Treecko and started circling him, preventing him from moving. Treeckos eyes flashed, and he swung his tail around and smashed it into the flames, which broke apart.

"The eye Treecko!" James told his Pokemon. Without any further persuasion Treecko launched himself at the eye and swung in midair and tried to Pound the eye with its tail, but the attack went right through it.

"Treecko, use you're Bullet Seed!" James ordered. Treecko jumped away and landed on a wall, then started to spit a barrage of seeds at the eye. This time the attack hit. The eye was instantly surrounded with the shadowy form of a Duskull as the pokemon was subjected to the attack. James smiled. The trick with Ghost pokemon was to use non-physical attacks, because otherwise all of your attacks will go right through. The Duskull dodged out of the way and shot an Icy Wind at Treecko, who was engulfed with the attack. James watched as his Pokemon collapsed from the cold. Grass Pokemon were weak against ice attacks, and the Icy Wind was taking a toll. He needed to think of a way to get Treecko out of there. James did the only thing that came to mind – he put himself between Treecko and the attack. Treecko looked up when the punishing cold stopped, and James could see his eyes widen as the Pokemon realized that his trainer was taking the attack. James smiled. His back was freezing, and tiny ice crystals were forming on his arms and shirt.

"Attack from above." James whispered. Treecko jumped onto James, climbing up to his head and jumping off, above the brutal wind. Duskull stopped his Icy Wind, realizing that the other Pokemon was no longer in the blast, and shot some blue Will-O-Wisp fire balls at Treecko. Treecko landed on the roof and shot a Bullet Seed at Duskull. The attacks met in mid air and the Will-O-Wisp fire balls erupted in miniature explosions. Treecko moved his hands to a position that looked like he was holding an invisible ball. Then a sphere of green energy formed in Treeckos hands. James knew what that attack was. He had seen the attack been used by high level grass Pokemon when the Pokemon league matches were played on television. Treecko had learnt Energy Ball. Treecko threw the Energy Ball at the Duskull, and it hit the ghost type in the eye. Duskull was pushed backward and slammed into the wall. When the Energy Ball dispersed Duskull shot back into the air once again, but not at Treecko. It was headed straight for the wall. It was about to go through the wall and escape, and James did not want to constantly have to contend with this Duskull; much better for it to be taken care of now.

"Stop it, Energy Ball!" James told Treecko, who jumped off the wall, straight into the path of the Duskull, and shot an Energy Ball at it. The Duskull rolled in midair, dodging the attack, but slowing down enough to give James time to find a spare pokeball. James pressed the centre button, and without thinking threw the enlarged ball at the Duskull. The ghost Pokemon turned around at the sound of the ball flying through the air, and was hit in the face. The ball opened, and Duskull was sucked inside with a burst of light. The Pokeball fell to the ground, the centre button flashing, and rolled slightly, before it broke open. Duskull appeared again with another flash of light. Treecko jumped onto the ceiling above it, and launched another Energy Ball at it, which smashed it to the ground. James grouped inside his pocket for another pokeball, but the only one in there was the one which he had bought from Fortree City's Pokemon equipment retailer the other day. James had been looking at the Pokeball selection when he had seen it. It was black and covered in green dots, and had a red centre button. All together, James had thought that it was a truly awesome design for a pokeball, so good in fact that James had bought it, despite its outrageous cost. The plan Pokeball was five dollars. Great Balls were more effective, and twice the price. Ultra Balls were even better, and at twenty dollars twice the price of a Great Ball. The ball he had bought was thirty dollars. James could have bought six pokeballs with the money it took to buy one of those, but it looked so cool he just had to buy it. James pressed the centre button on the Dusk Ball and watched it expand. _Appropriate name_ James thought, as he threw it. When the Dusk Ball hit the Duskull it opened, and the ghost Pokemon was taken inside with a flash of black light. The Ball fell to the ground and rolled slightly with the momentum of the fall, but other then that it didn't move. As James watched the centre button flashed, signalling that the capture was complete.

"Yes! We did it Treecko!" James told the Pokemon. James grinned, and his Pokemon smiled back. Treecko was happy with the result. They both were. At that moment there was a huge bang and the front door burst open, and James's dad nearly fell over the threshold. It appeared that he had rammed the door until it had opened.

"Okay, sorry about that James, the door was stuck. So, hows the _haunted_ house?" He asked. James just smiled and looked down at his Dusk Ball, now holding his newest Pokemon.

"Haunted? What are you talking about? This place isn't haunted."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Shock and Escape

James and Wally were relaxing under a tree with some cans of coke when Jenny ran toward them. She looked excited. The battle class for that day had ended, and the large majority of the students hung around the compound as usual, hanging out with friends, or else watching a Pokemon battle between some of the students. Although the battle classes were always accompanied by battles among the students, sometimes battles would take place after class as well. The main reason for this was that Falkner would chose battling partners judging on the students skills, so that they always battled someone with the same skill level and the battle was even. However, if two specific students wanted to battle each other, they were perfectly able to do that after class, when the class had disbanded. Once upon a time this had not been allowed, so as not to let students injure Pokemon when battling with no umpire, but when Falkner had become the instructor he had seen that this rule had been pointless, as students would simply battle outside. Much easier on everyone involved if the students had the run of the Colosseum after class. So Falkner would personally stay back an hour of two after class, when students could ask him personally for advice or stage battles, with Falkner as the umpire. James and Wally had assumed that something of the sort was happening now, as most of the students had stayed back and were now eagerly entering the Colosseum once again, but they didn't really care. Unless it was someone powerful battling, they couldn't be bothered moving from the comfortable positions they held under the tree. Jenny reached them and stopped, she looked excited, like she didn't want to linger.

"Lyra's fighting Josh." She said simply, then turned and ran back to the Colosseum. James and Wally looked at each other blankly, suddenly realized what that meant, and then both jumped to their feet. Lyra was easily one of the most powerful trainers at the Colosseum. When James had first gotten his Treecko he had been pared with her to fight, but only because Falkner knew that she would be using her new Quilava, which had been a birthday present from an uncle who lived in Johto. Lyra had been training for almost two years, and had developed a good team of high level Pokemon in that time. Josh had also had Pokemon for two years, although only became serious about entering the Pokemon league a few months ago. Before then he was more of a collector: finding exotic and powerful water Pokemon. Eventually he realized that he could do seriously well in a Pokemon league challenge, and had started learning how to battle. With Josh, he already had powerful Pokemon and only needed to learn how to instruct his Pokemon how to fight, and consequently had achieved a high skill level in much shorter time then it would have taken the average trainer. Both James and Wally knew that if these two titans were battling, there would be explosive results.

Entering the Colosseum, James found it set out differently then he had seen it yet. The huge floor, normally used as a stage for presentations and to hold many small Pokemon battles, was surrounded by spectators, none of which wanted to step on the white line that ran around the arena, as if being behind it would somehow shield them from any possible danger.

"Up there." James said to Wally and pointed to the staircase up to the grandstands. As the arena was completely surrounded by onlookers, there was no way that James and Wally would be able to see everything this battle had to offer, and there were seats in the grandstands anyway, meaning that they wouldn't have to stand the entire time. James and Wally hurried up, found some seats in the front row, two and a half meters above the ground where the crowds of onlookers were surrounding the battle field. They had a clear view now of the entire arena, but were sitting behind Lyra which meant it was harder to see exactly what was happening at Joel's side. They got up and walked along the grandstands until they had found a spot in the approximate middle of the arena. The arena was regulation size, the exact size that was used in the Pokemon League, and took up the entire Colosseum. It was shaped like a giant rectangle, with a box at each end for the trainer to stand in. James knew that if that trainer stepped out of the box while the battle was happening then their active Pokemon would be sent off and not be allowed to battle again, the same as if the Pokemon had been knocked out. If the trainer stepped out of the box again in the match then the battle would end and the opponent would be awarded an automatic victory. The rules were strict, but that prevented the trainers interfering with the battle. Pokemon however were not penalized if they went outside the box in which they battled. There was a good reason for this; if Pokemon were sent off when they stepped outside the box then trainers would train their Pokemon specifically to throw or push opposing Pokemon from the arena, therefore winning automatically. This also allowed flying Pokemon to take full advantage of the skies.

After a reasonable crowd had gathered and waited long enough to start to get restless, Falkner appeared at the edge of the arena, fighting through the crowd, and ran onto the field. Falkner ran to the side of the arena opposite to James and Wally, where there was another box for the umpire to stand. James noticed that he carried two flags – a white one and a green one.

"Are the trainers ready?" Falkner asked. There was a microphone attached to his collar, so the entire crowd that had gathered in the Colosseum could hear him, and they all stopped talking straight away.

"Yep." Josh said, he and Lyra were also wearing microphones, so the crowd and their Pokemon could easily hear their instructions. Lyra simply nodded. Falkner lifted the two flags into the air, and both trainers reacted instantly. Josh threw a miniaturized Pokeball into the air and caught it, enlarged, before throwing it into the arena. Lyra pulled her Pokeball out, enlarged it, and then threw it high into the air, so when the light spilled out the Pokemon landed right in front of her. James smiled. Every trainer had their own specific way of sending out their first Pokemon when in an important battle. Wally liked to throw the ball with a spin so its flight path curved slightly in the air before the ball opened. He himself practiced spinning the pokeball on his finger every night before going to sleep, so now he was pretty good at it, but he wanted to be a master at it before he did it to an audience. In front of Lyra the white light that had spilled from her ball shot to the ground and formed a Lunatone, its red eyes moving independently and staring at certain audience members, who all felt chills when they were spotted. When Josh's Pokeball snapped open the light formed a sort of blob, and then focused to form a Whiscash.

"Why did he send out a water Pokemon?" James muttered. The Colosseum didn't have a pool, surely Whiscash would suffocate.

"Whiscash can breathe air." Wally told him. James felt slightly embarrassed that he hadn't known that, but pushed it aside.

Falkner brought both flags down and Josh reacted instantly.

"Magnitude!" He ordered. Whiscash jumped into the air, and then fell down again, whacking the ground with its tail and creating a tremor. The Colosseum had special technology to protect it against damage when Pokemon used moves like Magnitude; and good thing too, because this one was a powerful one. It caused the grandstands to rumble slightly, and those standing around the arena screamed and laughed as the ground shook beneath them. Lunatone however did not react, nor did Lyra, and James knew why. While Lunatone floated above the ground it was impervious to ground attacks. There were ways around this, but a straight forward attack wouldn't work.

"Hydro Pump!" Josh told it, but this was Lyra's turn to act, and act she did.

"Psychic!" She yelled, and Lunatones red eyes glowed. The great torrent of water coming from Whiscash swerved to the side, avoiding its target as Lunatone took control. The Hydro Pump turned around like a snake, then shot toward its maker. Whiscash was swept away in the power of the attack, and the group of people standing behind the water Pokemon ran out of the way as the fish and its attack slammed against the wall of the Colosseum.

"WOULD ALL SPECTATORS PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE GRANDSTANDS?" Falkner yelled into his microphone. The crowd didn't need telling twice. Most people ran up the steps to the seats above in an effort to secure the best seats for themselves. Josh looked frantically for signs that Whiscash could still battle, and was rewarded with the sight of the fish jumping back into the arena. But his happiness was short lived.

"Solar Beam." Lyra said to Lunatone, who started to absorb light. The audience gasped. Whiscash was a water-ground Pokemon, and would never survive a direct hit from a solar beam.

"Whiscash HYPER BEAM!" Josh yelled, he had recognized the danger too. Whiscash opened his mouth and a huge torrent of power shot forth. The beam smashed into Lunatone – still absorbing light – and pushed it back, but Lunatone wasn't beaten yet. Suddenly the ball of light Lunatone had collected shone brightly, meaning that the attack was ready.

"NOW!" Lyra told it, and her Pokemons attack shot forward, cutting through the Hyper Beam. Lunatone was obviously much more powerful. When the Solar Beam had nearly reached Whiscash it started to slow down, and James could see Whiscash struggling to hold its ground, and then give in. The light from the Solar Beam engulfed it, picked it up and threw Whiscash against the wall. When the blinding light had disappeared and everyone's eyes adjusted enough to see, it was obvious that Whiscash had been knocked out.

"Whiscash is no longer able to battle!" Falkner said, raising Lyra's red flag into the air, "Lyra is the winner!" The Colosseum filled with the roar of the spectators as Lyra and Josh both walked into the arena and checked on their Pokemon, before shaking hands, embracing one another in a hug, then kissing. Someone wolf whistled.

"That's original." James muttered. Wally raised an eyebrow.

"Hope he doesn't do that to all his opponents."

It turns out that Lyra and Josh had been seeing each other in secret for quite some time. For nearly a month they had been going out to movies or to one another's houses without one of their friends or anyone at the school discovering their secret. That morning they had decided to spill the secret in a way which would be remembered, and they had certainly succeeded. The only problem was that now wherever either of them went, a pack of girls followed, wanting to know all of the juicy gossip. Far from feeling sorry for Josh, James and Wally, who had become mates with Josh, thought he deserved what he got for making such a public announcement. Obviously Josh himself didn't know that James and Wally felt this way, as a few days later he approached them after class.

"Either of you challenged Mossdeep or Mauville city gyms?" Josh asked them. James shook his head.

"I haven't challenged any gyms." He told Josh.

"Me neither. Well, I have the Lavaridge badge." Wally said. Josh smiled, this had obviously been the answer he had been hoping for.

"Do ya fancy taking them with me?" He asked, "I need to get out of here for a while, and I need the badges, you do too, do you wanna go and do them together?" This question shocked James, who hadn't been expecting anything of the sort to come from Josh's mouth. Wally shrugged.

"How's that gonna work?" He asked. This time it was Josh who shrugged.

"I've got transport. James, we need to sign you up for the Pokemon league before you can challenge a gym, but we can do that right now if we wanted."

"But don't ya wanna…you know…" James said awkwardly.

"Spend time with Lyra?" Josh laughed, "She wants to get her hands on a Pokemon down south, so she'll be gone for a while anyway. I thought that since she's gone, I may as well go too, but it'll be good with friends." James considered the proposal. His parents had been bugging him for a while to get out and challenge a gym, and this was a prime opportunity to do so. No only would he be able to challenge two gyms, he might find exotic Pokemon to capture on the way. In the old days it was custom for Pokemon to leave home all together when they received their first Pokemon. This had no longer become the case. Although you were allowed to leave home when you received your first Pokemon, and were legally an adult at the age of fifteen, usually the only people who traveled were those who were exploring different regions. Of course one still had to travel when they wanted to challenge a gym, but usually one returned home afterward. The idea of being off traveling for a month or so with two mates suddenly seemed like a great idea.

"Yeah ok, sure, I'll go with you." Wally said, coming to a conclusion. James smiled.

"Count me in."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Psychic Start

"Hey mum," James asked nervously. Today was the day that James, Wally and Joel were planning to begin their trip. They had planned to travel on the Fortree Channel, which began at Mt Chimney, went underground at the Desert Ruins, then began again at Fortree, and if one followed the channel for long enough, they would find themselves at Open Ocean. The channel wound its way through the rainforest, which was dense and hard to navigate through, making it the easiest way to travel. What made it easier was that Joel owned some massive water Pokemon, some easily big enough to carry people. They had finalized the plans a few days ago, but James hadn't told his parents about the trip yet. He knew that his mum would disapprove, and probably his dad too. His parents were so overprotective that they had prevented him from getting a Pokemon for five years, so what were the chances that they would let him travel the continent with some friends? Surprisingly good actually.

"Of course you can go." James's mum said, looking up from the cross word she was doing in the TV guide. "You don't know what's the only Pokemon that can use Transform do you?"

"Um," James said, unsure whether he had heard correctly, "Ditto."

"Of course." His mum sighed, writing it in.

"But, hang on," James said, "You didn't let me get a Pokemon for years, but now your letting me just head off to random islands with a bunch of immature teenage friends?"

"Your going with Wally and Joel." His mum told him, "I wouldn't call them immature teenagers, would you?" James sighed.

"No, but that's not the point, the point is that…"

"James, dear, when we let you have a Pokemon," His mother said, looking up from her crossword, "It wasn't only the Pokemon we were giving you, it was your life. You're a trainer now, with Pokemon and friends to protect you. You don't need to ask permission to go on trips. We know that you want to compete in the Pokemon League, and that means that you will have to travel all the time. All I ask is that you always give me a hug goodbye." His mother said, spreading her arms wide. James smiled, walked over and hugged her. Being a trainer came with more benefits then he thought. "And if you capture more then six Pokemon and want to change your party, just give us a call and I'll get your father to transport them to you."

"Thanks mum."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Joel cried, throwing his pokeball high into the air "Let me introduce the transport for today, my mighty Gyarados!" The blue Dive Ball soared high in the air, then opened, expelling a burst of light, and a huge red Gyarados appeared in the water of Fortree Channel before them. The Gyarados rose its head out of the water, holding it a good twenty meters above the water level.

"Wow." Wally said.

"Why is it red? Is it sick?" James asked. Joel laughed.

"Na, it's just a special Gyarados." He said, and made an arm signal. The Gyarados lowered its huge head until it rested on the wharf. "All right, all aboard." Joel said. He walked up to Gyarados and clambered onto its head. James walked up to it. He had heard all about Gyarados's being vicious, able to knock down entire cities. This one however was sitting still, quite, waiting to be boarded. It was obviously very well trained. However James's past knowledge about Gyarados wasn't the only reason he didn't feel safe about getting on. The Pokemon was covered in scales, which James knew would give absolutely no grip. Then James noticed that behind the fins on the side of the Gyarados's head was a fleshy spot. James put his foot there experimentally, testing for any ill-feelings from the Gyarados. None came, so James stepped up onto the Pokemon, then grabbed Joel's waiting hand, and pulled himself up. James crawled around the massive head of the Gyarados until he found a comfortable spot, and settled down, while Joel was helping Wally up. When they were all in place, James marveled at how much room there was on the top of the Pokemons head. Joel tapped the Gyarados on the top of its head, and the huge Pokemon suddenly turned around, nearly throwing James and Wally off in surprise. Gyarados lowered itself down into the water, until its head was the only part of it showing above the surface. James, looking over the side, saw that they were barely a meter above the water. Wally laughed at the puzzled expressions of the fishermen on the docks, watching the three teenagers being carried off into the jungle. The dock was located on the edge of the city. The Fortree Channel runs along the city for a while, before splitting off and heading into the jungle. It was at that point, where water and city do no longer meet, where the docks were located. This meant that, once in the water, once you turned a corner, the city had vanished. Of course, there were no Pokemon. There were Carvanha and Feebas in the Channel of course, but because of Gyarados, no Pokemon were going to approach them. The powerful red Pokemon cut through the water easily, not making a single wave or splash of white wash was it went. After a while of easy going, Wally lay back, relaxed, and spoke for the first time since leaving.

"So… Where we going first?" He asked the other two. James, who had no idea, was glad when Joel answered.

"There is the odd town along the channel, but not for ages." Joel said, "I brought some cans of food to eat tonight because I knew you two would have forgotten all about food, but you better hope that we reach Feaffle Town by tomorrow, cause I didn't bring that much." James frowned. Although Joel was right, in that he had indeed forgotten to bring food and he was betting that Wally had too, it was the concept that annoyed him. But after a few moments he realized he was being an idiot, and he pushed the thought aside.

They traveled down the channel for some time, noticing little in the way of scenery and Pokemon. Around twelve o'clock, Wally started complaining about his stomach, and although Joel and James both said that they could go on for a while longer before stopping, after five minutes they had grown tired of his complaining. Joel rubbed Gyarados on the head to make it stop, and reached into his bag to reveal an assortment of neatly packed cans. James and Joel both grabbed out some spaghetti, which was on the top, but Wally insisted on getting his hands on some baked beans, which happened to be at the bottom. The result was a very frustrated Joel, and a can being lost in the channel. Joel swore at Wally for a while, before James, who was getting a headache, pushed him off of Gyarados and into the channel. Joel fell in with a huge splash, which made the other two erupt with laughter. Even Joel, when he eventually surfaced and stopped swearing, saw the funny side. He sent out his Azumarill, who searched for the missing can while they ate their pitiful lunch.

"This is really gross when it's cold." James complained. He and the others had to eat the cold spaghetti and beans directly from the can with spoons that were slightly too small to reach the bottom. Not what he imagined traveling to be like at all, James reflected.

"Gyarados knows Flamethrower, you know, he could warm up the cans if you like." Josh told them.

"Na, that's ok, we fine." Wally said, laughing nervously. Joel laughed, he always found it funny how people reacted to his Gyarados. James held his half eaten can of spaghetti up to the light, reading the list of ingredients while wondering if he should bother getting Gyarados to breathe fire on it. It had a suspicion that it would just burn the pasta and melt the can. Something green appeared out of thin air beside him. Before James could get a look at it, it had ran past him, snatched up the can, and disappeared again. James jumped to his feet, making Gyarados jump and nearly making them all fall off.

"Careful!" Joel said, grabbing hold of his Pokemons fin for support. There was another flash of green and Joel's can vanished too.

"What was that?" Wally asked. There was another flash of green, and two Pokemon appeared on top of Gyarados's head.

"They're Kirlia." Joel said in amazement. James however, didn't know or care what a Kirlia was, but could see the Pokemon reach for Joel's bag.

"NO YOU DON'T!" James yelled, and grabbed for the bag to prevent the Kirlia from spiriting it away. He just had time to grab hold of it before the Kirlia teleported again. But he didn't have time to rid them of the bag. Consequently, he, the bag and the two Pokemon were all Teleported together. It felt like James was being compacted until he was very small. He couldn't see anything, and he could feel nothing aside from the bag which he still held on to. Suddenly, the tight sensation eased and sunlight burst forth. James fell to the ground and rolled for a moment, before he regained his senses. The ground he was lying on was soft, and dead leaves were everywhere. He had to still be in Fortree Jungle. James stood and looked around. He was in a clearing, where no trees grew, forming a circle with a ten meter diameter. He heard something above him. He looked up, and high in the branches of a tree were the two Kirlia. They were ripping open the cans in Joel's backpack and wolfing down the food inside.

"Hey!" James yelled at them. One of the Kirlias, which was unmistakably male, glared at him, and threw some leaves at him. The leaves spun in the breeze for a second, before glowing with a mixture of colors and shooting straight at James's face. James dived to the ground to avoid the attack, but the Magical Leaves just turned in midair and zoomed straight back at him. There were three. The first one cut a hole in his pants. The second in his arm. The third cut through his arm. James yelled in pain as blood started swelling from the slash in his right arm. The Kirlia smiled and threw more Magical Leaves into the air.

"Argh, I'll get you for that!" James yelled, reaching down with his left arm and pulling his Dusk Ball from his belt. "GO DUSKULL!" The ball flew through the air then opened and ejected the ghost Pokemon in a burst of dark light. The Pokemon looked around, its one eye roaming, before it noticed the two psychic types in the tree. Duskull had the advantage in this battle, James knew.

"Icy Wind!" James ordered. Duskull clapped its shadowy arms together and a cruel chill was summoned forth. The Magical Leaf attack was frozen in mid air, and fell harmlessly to the ground. "Shadow Ball." James told his Pokemon. Duskull threw a ball of darkness toward the Pokemon in the tree, both of which Teleported away. The lump of shadow smashed the branch they had been standing on to splinters, and ripped Joel's bag to pieces. The Kirlias reappeared, one on each side of them. They both raised their hands, and suddenly there were one hundred Kirlia surrounding them. James knew it was Double Team. He also knew that the odds were now against him; unless of course, he could add to his side as well. "GO TREECKO!" James threw the leaf symbol toward Duskull, and his first Pokemon appeared by its side. "Attack together!" James told them. They both nodded. Treecko formed an Energy Ball, Duskull a Shadow Ball, and they both threw them to opposite sides of the circle. Every copy they hit disappeared, although it was constantly replaced by another. If they could only it one of the originals. James knew that if, while performing a double team, a Pokemon was hit by an attack, all of the copies would disappear. Suddenly the air around one part of the circle started to bend, as if it had suddenly gotten extremely hot. Or, James realized, it could be a Psychic attack forming in the air.

"THERE!" James pointed to the spot, and both Pokemon fired. The balls of energy both hit a real Kirlia, which was knocked back and slammed against a tree. The Psychic attack that it had been forming exploded, spurting up into the air like a rocket.

A few hundred meters away, Gyarados was racing along the channel, faster then a speed boat, while the trainers on top scanned the banks for James. They had each taken a side, so it was only Wally who saw the burst of Psychic energy.

"Over there!" Wally pointed, "I saw something, it might have been him!" Joel looked at where Wally was pointing. He didn't doubt Wally for an instant that he had seen something, but he had no way of knowing whether it was James or something else. However the spot he was pointing to wasn't far away, nor was it far from the bank.

"Lets go." Joel said, and Gyarados sped up even more.

The many copies, all apparently from the female Kirlia, disappeared when her partner went down. She knelt delicately over him. There was nothing wrong with him, he was simply knocked out. The female Kirlia stood up, and glared at James with multicolored eyes. James took a step backward. That couldn't be good.

"James?" Wally called from the bank, barely fifty meters from James's position but invisible because of the network of trees.

"Get in here!" James yelled. He could hear Wally crashing through the trees, swearing, then he stopped. Joel's voice broke the silence.

"OUTRAGE!" Gyarados's roar split the air, and within seconds the trees at the edge of the clearing had been uprooted and thrown away by the massive red Pokemon. Gyarados, all control lost, started to writhe its way toward the Kirlia, preparing its attack. Suddenly the Pokemons green horns shone brightly, and with a great rushing sound Treecko, Duskull, Gyarados and the three trainers were thrown backward. James landed in the thick mud of the bank, and felt instant pain because of the many mangrove roots reaching out of the mud.

"Ugh," Joel moaned from somewhere nearby, "That had to be a Future Sight."

James tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't put any weight down without suffering pain from the roots or sinking deep into the mud. James gripped two of the roots and used them to pull his front half out of the mud. Looking around him, he saw the massive form of Gyarados struggling to rise after the attack. Scattered around the giant Pokemon were Wally and Joel, along with his two Pokemon. James wanted to run over and check the damage the powerful attack did, but there was no way he could reach them, so he pulled out their balls, which were covered in mud, and returned them. Next he looked around for the two Kirlia. They were standing on the muddy bank, but unlike James and his friends the Pokemon were not struggling to stay upright, but using their psychic powers to prevent them from being sucked into the mud. However, they both looked exhausted. The male Kirlia had taken a serious beating at James's hand, while the female had used a lot of energy on her attack. James realized the solution to their problem now.

"Wally!" He yelled. He had no idea where his friend was, so he shouted as loud as he could, "We need to capture them!"

"They aren't weak enough yet!" Wally called back. It appeared that he was behind Gyarados. James smiled. They would be soon.

"Carvanha!" James said, throwing his last pokeball out to the water of the channel. The fish Pokemon landed in the water and its pokeball flew back to James. "Water pulse!" James told it, pointing at the two psychic types. A ball of water formed in Carvanhas mouth, and shot straight at one of the Kirlia. The Pokemon blocked it with a blast of psychic energy, but that was all part of the plan.

A while ago, Falkner had given the class a lecture on distracting the opponent during a battle. He had then demonstrated the technique. He had called a student up to face him, they had both sent out a Pokemon. The student chose an Electrike, while Falkner used a Swellow. Falkner then told the student and the class exactly what he was going to have Swellow do – a bluff Quick Attack followed by an Agility and a Wing Attack from behind. Then, when they battled, even though the student knew that the first attack would be a feint, he tried to attack Swellow while it was performing the Quick Attack. This resulted with Swellow having a clear field to attack a distracted Pokemon. According to Falkner, that was an automatic reaction. Most trainers, and nearly all wild Pokemon, always react to the first attack that comes. If that first attack is a bluff, Falkner told them, it leaves your opponent open to a real attack.

Ever since that day he had trained Carvanha in feints and surprise attacks, knowing that it's more powerful attacks were all physical, which otherwise left the Pokemon open for attack. However, if James used Water Pulse first, the opponent would be distracted and Carvanha would have an easy job getting close.

"Crunch!" James told Carvanha, who jumped out of the water at the Kirlia. The fish landed on the Pokemons hand and bit down, grinding its teeth. Kirlia shook its hand desperately, trying to dislodge the Pokemon. It even used a blast of psychic energy, but the attack didn't affect Carvanha due to its Dark characteristics. Wally's Pokeball came from nowhere and it the distressed Kirlia in the head. Carvanha, now without its prey, jumped to the other Kirlia. The pokeball flew back to Wally, and James could make out the flash from it which signified the capture of a Pokemon. James then turned his attention to the remaining Kirlia, the male, which was being attacked by Carvanha. James threw his fresh Pokeball as hard as he could, and managed to hit the wild Pokemon. Carvanha landed in the mud as its prey disappeared in a flash of red light. The pokeball soared back to James, who caught it. The Kirlia inside was putting up a huge fight, rocking the pokeball terribly, but after a few seconds, the rocking stopped, and the light flashed.

"Well," Joel said, when all three of them had finally reached Gyarados and climbed onto it, "That was a great start wasn't it?" James and Wally, both too tired to laugh, said nothing, but the two Kirlia on top of the red Gyarados laughed and started to dance.

"Do you two recon you could get us to Feaffle Town do ya?" James asked them. Both Pokemon smiled, turned around once on their pointy feet, and in a flash of light they, the Kirlia, and the massive Gyarados all disappeared. They reappeared on a grassy bank. Looking forward, James could see a collection of building, looking back, he cold see Fortree Channel. James sighed with relief. He was exhausted. He had two Pokemon who were out cold and a third who was teetering on the edge of collapse. He, like the other two, was covered in mud from head to toe. His arm was bleeding, his favorite jeans were slashed, and he was hungry. Joel started up the hill that leads to the town, returning his Gyarados to its pokeball as he went. When he had nearly reached the top of the hill he turned back and shouted to James.

"Oh, and you owe me a backpack!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – The Feaffle Town Cup

The nurse sitting in the front desk at the Pokemon Center looked up when James, Joel and Wally entered, and her look when she saw them was one of horror.

"What the heck happened to you?" She yelled at them, "And why are you traipsing all that mud in here?" James was completely exhausted from the day that he and his friends had had. It was nearing four o'clock now, and for the entire day they had been traveling on Joel's Gyarados, until of course their cruse was interrupted by two meddlesome Kirlia. All three of them were completely covered in mud, picked up from the bank of the Fortree Channel, and although most of it had dried, James was shivering because of the wet shirt he was wearing, and he was desperate to get it off and get into a hot shower.

"Do you have a free room?" Joel asked, "Preferably three separate rooms if you can." The nurse shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry, but almost all our rooms have been taken by trainers wanting to compete in the Cup." She told them.

"Do you have any rooms left at all?" Joel asked.

"Yes, we a couple left, but their all emergency rooms."

"What does that mean?"

"They're rooms we use on occasions such as this, when we are completely full. Emergency rooms are smaller, and they don't have showers or toilets, so you'll have to use the public ones."

"Great," James said, sarcastically.

"Well take one." Joel said. The nurse nodded, and after the three trainers signed some forms, the nurse handed over the key and gave them a room number.

"Ok, this is it…I think." Joel said when they stopped outside a door with a number thirty two on it. Joel ran his key card through the electric lock, which lit up. He then pushed the door open, to reveal a very bare room, filled with nothing but six single beds lining the walls.

"Well this sucks." Wally said, walking to one of the beds and dumping his backpack onto the ground beside it. James too, walked up to a bed and dropped his pack beside it, then felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. It was Joel.

"Gimmie some cash, James," He said, holding out his hand.

"Why?" James asked.

"You destroyed by pack, and lost all my clothes. I need to go out and see if I can find any shops still open, but all my cash was in my pack, WHICH YOU LOST!" Joel told him.

"Ok, ok," James said, reaching into his wallet and pulling out some notes. There was a twenty and a ten, both of which he gave to Joel. His friend probably didn't need that much money, and it hadn't been James's fault his bag had been lost. However, thirty bucks was a small price to pay to get Joel off of his back. Joel walked to the door, stopped, then turned back. James cringed, predicting Joel yelling at him again.

"You guys recon you could drop my Pokemon off with the nurse?" Joel asked.

"What?" James asked, thinking at first that he had heard incorrectly. "Um, sure."

"Cool," Joel said, pulling a small leather draw-string bag from his pocket and throwing it to James. Looking inside, James could see six miniaturized Pokeballs. "And, make sure Gyarados gets looked after will you?" Joel asked. James nodded, and Joel smiled and left.

"Well," Wally said, breaking the silence, "I'm gonna go shower."

"Me too, but I think I'll drop my Pokemon off with the nurse first." James said.

"Yea," Wally agreed, "that's probably a good idea."

Both of them gathered up their Pokemon, some thongs to wear in the showers and the towels that came with the room. They walked out of the room, James locking the door behind them with his keycard, and headed to the front desk. They found the nurse sitting there, typing on the computer at her desk. She looked up and twitched slightly at the sight of James and Wally, still covered in dried mud.

"Do I need to remind you that the showers are not in the main foyer?" The nurse asked, sarcastically.

"No," James said, rolling his eyes, "But we want you to give you our Pokemon to look after." That made the nurse smile.

"Good," she said, taking out two trays, each with six wells in them to hold pokeballs, and placed them on the desk in front of her. "There isn't much for me to do you see. Since the cup is so near, no one wants to risk not having their Pokemon ready to battle with on Friday. I haven't had to look at a Pokemon for a few days now."

"The what?" Wally asked, dumping his five Pokeballs on the desk so that they rolled all over the place.

"The cup…You know, the Feaffle Town Cup?" The nurse asked, surprised that neither of them had heard of it. "The Feaffle Town Cup is held once a year, on the anniversary of this town founding. There's a festival and rides and markets and all sorts of fun, and of course there's the tournament."

"What tournament? A Pokemon battling tournament?" James asked, intrigued.

"Yes, of course," The nurse said, as if she couldn't comprehend the idea of a tournament not involving Pokemon battles. "The tournament is the main attraction of the festival. Trainers come from miles around to compete, you know. It's pretty special. It's a round robin tournament, so if you lose a match you can still win the big prize. It's all very exciting, and what's even better is that the Pokemon trainers can't chose the Pokemon they're going to be using!"

"What? Do we get given Pokemon or something?" Wally asked.

"Oh hell no," The nurse said, "You each get to choose three Pokemon to use during the tournament, but not which one of 'em you wanna use during the battle, see?" James squinted his eyes, trying to comprehend what she had said. Wally just shook his head. The nurse sighed with exasperation. She seemed to have gotten herself very excited by the concept of the tournament, and was slightly annoyed that neither of the trainers were keeping up. "The judges pick the Pokemon!" She told them, "That way, its sure to be exciting isn't it?"

"So," Wally asked, "Is the whole point of this just to put on a show?"

"Of course not! You all compete for a prize!" The nurse said, grabbing James and Wally's attention instantly.

"What do ya win?" James asked. The nurse shrugged.

"No idea, it changes every year, don't find out what it is till they give it to you. But its always a Pokemon, a rare one too. Last year they gave out a Kabuto, and those things are so rare that they thought they were extinct didn't they?" James wasn't listening. His mind was full of wild thoughts about the prize. A rare Pokemon; one that he might never find otherwise. He had to win it.

"Sign me up." James said.

James woke up the next morning feeling a bit sore from sleeping in an uncomfortable position, but incredibly rested. Staring up at the ceiling, he tried to think of what he would do that day, and it wasn't long before it came to him. He had to train. Wally had signed up for the tournament too, and so had Joel when he had returned with new clothes. Both of them would be tough opponents. Wally acted like a goofball normally, but when he was battling he was serious and full of strategy. Joel was a powerhouse, with simple strategies that suited his Pokemon and worked for every situation he got himself into. But he must forget about the other opponents as well. He could guarantee that most, if not all of them would have had much more experience then he had. He had signed up Treecko, Duskull and Kirlia for the tournament, Carvanha being unsuited to the arenas, which the nurse told them was always plain concrete ground with no obstacles. This meant that James was stuck with two Pokemon still in the first stage of evolution, which placed them at a disadvantage from the start, and a Pokemon who he had captured recently, meaning that they would not be used to each other. All in all, James needed to train if he was to have a hope of winning. He sighed, lay there for a moment longer, then managed to get up.

Lyra stood on the rocks overlooking the sea. A few days ago, she had arrived on Dewford Island, in the hopes of tracking down a legendary Pokemon. Behind her was the huge forest, which made up most of the island, ahead of her, the sea, only punctuated by rocks protruding out of the ocean.

"Come on, where are you?" Lyra said to herself. Suddenly the air beside her seemed to warp, and an Alakazam Teleported right beside her. "Have you found him?" Lyra asked her Pokemon. Alakazam nodded, and Teleported once again, this time taking Lyra with it. When they rematerialized, Lyra found herself standing in the middle of a grassy field. She took out her PokeNav, which showed her that she was near Lilycove City.

"Where?" Lyra asked. Alakazam pointed with the spoon it always carried, and Lyra, following her Pokemons gaze, saw something in the distance. Some sort of blue object was flying fast toward them. By the speed it was going at, some might have thought it a small airplane, but Lyra knew better. She knew it was a Pokemon; and not just any Pokemon. It was a Latios. "Alakazam, Disable!" Lyra yelled, when she had judged when the Eon Pokemon had gotten close enough. Alakazam raised its hand, its spoon glowed, and Latios suddenly found that it could no longer move. The Eon Pokemon crashed into the ground, rolling over and over to eventually come to a stop some fifty meters from Lyra.

"Go Skarmory!" Lyra shouted, throwing a pokeball into the air. He Armor Bird Pokemon flew high into the sky, ready to stop Latios if it tried to escape again. This was the third time Lyra had found the Eon Pokemon, and twice now it had escaped her. Now she was fed up, and so were her Pokemon. They were going to catch it, even if it wanted to drag them all over Hoenn; they were going to catch it. And then she would have a terribly powerful Pokemon on her team, and the Pokemon League would be a piece of cake. Suddenly the psychic energy holding Latios in a frozen state broke, and the Pokemon rose into the air, flapping its wings and crying in anger.

"We're just gonna keep finding you so if your fed up running, give up now." Lyra said. She knew the Latios could understand her. Latios were very powerful psychic Pokemon, with the abilities to read peoples emotions, understand human languages, and project images into peoples minds. "Alakazam, use Psychic!" Lyra told it, and her Pokemon raised its spoons again, sending this time a wave of energy at Latios. Screamed, and spat a Dragon Breath attack at Alakazam. The dragon attack broke easily through the Psychic and Alakazam threw its hands up to protect itself, but it was no use. Lyra was knocked off her feet with the force of the blast, and landed painfully a few meters away. She rose quickly, not wanting Latios to escape, and then spotted Alakazams lifeless body lying a few meters away. "No." Lyra said, and scrambled to Alakazams side, before breathing a sigh of relief. It was breathing. She looked up, and saw Latios about to fly away, she shouted to her Skarmory: "Air Slash!" Skarmory screamed, and shot blades of air spinning toward the Eon Pokemon, who simply dodged out of the way with impossible speed. Lyra, looking up, saw the red triangle on Latios's chest begin to glow, and knew what was about to happen. It was using Luster Purge. Suddenly a huge burst of light exploded from Latios, swallowing up Skarmory, Lyra and Alakazam and forming a huge sphere of light, thirty meters in diameter.

Lyra's vision went white, and she could see nothing at all for a second or two, then it darkened. But instead of forming the grassy field, a very different scene appeared. She was in a dark cave, probably underwater. The rock ceiling was dripping, as were the walls, and there were puddles on the floor that probably never dried up. Despite this, the room was filled with wooden boxes probably used for shipping. There were also three people in the room. One of them was wearing dark cloths, black boots and had a black beard that took up most of his face. The other man had huge muscular arms but had a rather chubby chest, which was easily seen because he wore a blue vest but no shirt and blue jeans that were thankfully baggy. The third person was a woman, who had long red hair, and wore blue and red jeans, a vest and a black top. They all wore blue head bands.

"Archie, the Latios has escaped." The woman said, addressing the man in black, who was obviously the leader. Archie slammed his fist down upon one of the boxes.

"Damn, how did this happen?" He asked angularly.

"One of the grunts dozed off and it broke out. He has been punished." The woman said.

"Shut it Shelly." The other man told her, "It broke our cause she put one of the grunts in charge of watching it instead of doing it herself."

"Matt, watch your tongue." Archie snapped. Shelly smiled.

"What do you want us to do?" Shelly asked.

"Take the Soul Dew to the mainland. When Latios turns up, capture it using this." Archie said, throwing something to Shelly. She caught it, and enlarged it. It was a Master Ball.

"Do you really think that Latios will be stupid enough to come after it again?" Matt asked, "That's how we caught it the first time."

"Oh it will show." Archie said, "It has to, with that Soul Dew you hold the life of Latios in your hand. It will know that it's a trap, but it will have to show anyway. Now go." Suddenly Lyra's world became bright once again, whiteness swallowing up everything until Lyra had to clench her eyes shut.

Lyra felt something jabbing her in the side.

"Stop it." She said, and opened her eyes. She was lying face up on the grass. The sun was blinding, but then something moved overhead, casting shadow onto her face. It was Skarmory. Suddenly Lyra remembered everything. Latios was in trouble. Those people were after it, and she was sure that they wouldn't treat it well. All thought of capturing it herself had gone. Now she wanted nothing more then for it to remain free. But she didn't have much time. She had to help it. But first she had to find it.

"WELCOME LADIES AND GELTELMEN, TO THIS YEARS FEAFFLE TOWN TOURNAMENT!" The commentator said over the microphone. "This year, a total of twenty two trainers have signed up for the competition. LETS GIVE EM ALL A BIG HAND!" the stadium erupted in applause. James, who was sitting in the changing rooms underneath the stands, could hear the commentary, which was slightly muffled but still great. This would be the first time he had battled in front of an audience. He was nervous as hell. He had been put up to go first, facing a trainer called Trisha, and the judges had chosen for him to use his Treecko. He had no idea what Pokemon Trisha would be using, or she him. Now he practiced spinning his leaf emblazoned Pokeball on his finger, making sure that he wouldn't accidentally drop it when the time came. "Now," The commentator said, "Would you please put your hands together for our first trainer of the year, all the way from Kanto…"

"All right kid," the stage hand who had been watching him for the last five minutes said, "Get up to the doors, but don't go out." James nodded, too nervous to speak. He walked up to the double doors that gave access to the arena. In a few seconds he would be walking out through them. Undoubtedly Trisha would already be out there, waiting for him to show.

"Now, Our second trainer. He's from Fortree City. He's only been training for three months but already his battle teacher, the famous Falkner, says he's going to do great things," James wondered where they had gotten that quote from. He knew that Falkner wouldn't stay that about him. How could he have? "…Please give him a big hand, JAMES MILAN!"

"It's Millar." James grumbled to himself as he pushed the doors open. People were always getting his name wrong. The sunlight dazzled him for a moment, after the darkness of the changing room, but then his eyes adjusted. The Colosseum, which he had seen empty the day before and marveled at its size, was barely half full. It probably would fill up when the tournament was drawing to a close later this evening, but right now it was only seated by those who with food, and wanted a place to sit down and some light entertainment while they ate.

"Are both trainers ready?" The umpire asked. James and Trisha both nodded. "Send out your Pokemon!" the umpire said, lifting the red and green flags into the air.

"Go Quagsire!" Trisha yelled, throwing her pokeball out and releasing her Pokemon.

"Treecko!" James said, forgetting to spin the ball and instead just throwing it awkwardly into the arena. The ball landed and bounced, opened, and Treecko was expelled in a flash of light. Quagsire glared at Treecko, but the wood gecko Pokemon didn't notice. Treecko was looking around the Colosseum, taking in the many onlookers and the huge stands. James saw its eyes light up at the prospect of performing for all these onlookers.

"Begin!" The umpire said, throwing down the two flags.

"Quagsire use Mud Shot!" Trisha ordered her Pokemon.

"Bullet seed!" James said. Both Pokemon shot their respected attacks at each other, but the Bullet Seed was simply swallowed up by the Mud Shot from Quagsire.

"And both trainers make an explosive start, with Mud Shot and Bullet Seed!" The commentator said.

"Dodge it!" James yelled. Treecko readied himself, but for some reason the Mud Shot didn't reach it. The attack died before Treecko was hit, and simply created a muddy line in the arena.

"And Mud Shot fails to reach the target!" The commentator was shouting, "Is this simply a lack of power? Or is it some predetermined strategy?" James shook his head. How could it be a strategy? They made the field slightly slippery, that would hinder both sides. Unless of course the slipperiness could be used as an advantage. _Oh no_.

"Body Slam!" Trisha yelled. The Quagsire jumped into the air, landing in the mud and sliding forward, toward Treecko.

"Jump out of the way, get away from the mud!" James told Treecko, but his Pokemon didn't move. Instead it formed an Energy Ball in its hands, and threw it at the Quagsire, who simply span around and pushed the attack aside with a sweep from its massive tail. James couldn't believe it. After all they had been through, after all their training; Treecko wasn't listening to him again. Then he realized what the problem was: the crowd. Treecko didn't want to lose in front of a crowd, and didn't trust James to win the battle. And because of that, they were going to lose. Quagsire slammed into Treecko and ran him over, sliding past and increasing the size of the mud trail. Treecko tried to get up, but the field was slippery and it couldn't even get onto all fours without collapsing again.

"Mud Shot!" Trisha said to Quagsire. James could see her smiling. This was perfect for her. The opponent was cornered, and the Pokemon was refusing to take directions.

"Treecko just doesn't want to listen to James, I'm afraid that if he can't get his Pokemon back under control, this battle is over." The commentator said. Mud Shot hit Treecko, sending him flying and covering him in mud. Treecko tried to rise, but fell once again, and Quagsire was sliding toward it once more.

"Body Slam, FINNISH IT!" Trisha ordered. Quagsire yelled in agreement, and jumped into the air, to land directly on top of Treecko. Everyone in the stadium went to the edge of their seats, looking directly at Quagsire, trying to see whether it had won. Quagsire slid off of Treecko, and the result was plain to see.

"THE WINNER IS TRISHA AND QUAGSIRE!" The umpire announced, holding up the red flag.

"And the first match goes to Trisha!" The commentator said, repeating what everyone already knew, as if he just wanted to annoy James. If that was his plan, it had worked.

"I hate umpires." James muttered, returning a fainted Treecko to its ball. His jaw became suddenly sore, and he forced himself not to break down into tears. But then he saw Trisha at the other side of the arena. She was hugging Quagsire, and getting completely covered in mud in the process. James suddenly found that he wasn't sad, but instead happy for her, and he strode forward, his hand outstretched, with one thought in his head – it was a round robin tournament, he still had a chance, a small one, but a chance. It wasn't over yet.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – the End of an Era, the Beginning of the Next

It wasn't over, but it was close. James was lucky to make it. Because it was a round robin tournament, trainers could lose matches, but still win the tournament. In fact, there wasn't a single trainer who didn't lose a match. James couldn't understand how the organizers of the tournament were dealing with the wins and loses, but he did understand the point system. If a trainer won a battle, he or she was awarded two points. If they lost, they got nothing, and they received one point in the event of a tie. After the first round, any trainer with three points or less would be eliminated. James had lost his first battle, but if he won his next two, he would make it. And that was all that filled his head when he walked onto the arena once again, an hour after his first battle with Treecko. He had to win this, otherwise he would be out. He and his opponent Sam, a boy not much older then he was, walked into their respected boxes.

"This is Scott Johnston, and this is the second battle for these two trainers, both competing for this year's prize. Sam won his last match, while James lost." The umpire was shouting to the audience, which had grown considerably since James's last match. "I've had a look at the Pokemon both trainers will be using for the battle now…" James laughed to himself. He was to use Duskull, as per the judges orders, and half an hour ago the commentator, during his break, had appeared where James was training to 'have a look' at James's Pokemon. The commentator went on to examine Duskull for any sort of injuries, looked disappointed when he found none, then told James all about how Duskull were inferior to the Pokemon that Sam was using, and implied that James didn't stand a chance. He had just started on how James obviously wasn't a good trainer, due to Treeckos disobedience, when James cracked. He set Duskull on the commentator, and his Pokemon obeyed very happily. Duskull revealed that it knew Confuse Ray, tricking the commentator to thinking that it was night, and followed it up with an Icy Wind and Will-O-Wisp combo, which made the commentator scream out loud. It was then that Duskull released its hold on the Scott Johnston, and he found himself screaming in terror in the middle of a public street, and attracting quite a lot of stares. James was getting the feeling that Scott Johnston didn't like him much after that.

"…and it is clear to me, that Sam's Pokemon will have a much better chance of winning…" James shook his head. There was no point listening to the commentator. There were more important things to concentrate on.

"Are both trainers ready?" the umpire asked. Both trainers nodded.

"And James hesitates slightly, is he feeling doubts about the battle? I would be, in his place…" Scott Johnston was saying.

Send out your Pokemon!" The umpire shouted, raising his flags. Sam threw his ball forth, which broke open to expel a Numel. James, spinning his Pokeball on his finger, could feel the entire crowd watching him. He smiled. He had them from the beginning. James let the ball drop into his hand, and then threw it, sending Duskull into the air.

"And James waits for too long before sending his Pokemon out, that could be a penalty!" The commentator said.

"Oh please," James said into the microphone on his collar, so that everyone could hear him, "If it was illegal the umpire would have said something." He could hear laughter from the crowd, laughter at Scott Johnston. He smiled again. He had the audience, Scott did not. And it was always good to have a fan base.

"Begin!" The umpire said, throwing down the flags.

"Duskull, use Icy Wind!" James said.

"And James attacks first, but uses an ice attack, which won't do much to a fire type; obviously James doesn't know types very well, a fatal floor in a trainer." Duskull shot the Icy Wind at Numel, causing it to shudder with cold.

"Numel, use Flamethrower!" Sam said. Parts the stadium erupted in laughter as Numel, unable to see, shot the Flamethrower about three meters to the left of Duskull, missing it completely.

"And Sam is caught off guard by an effective, but relatively simple strategy." Scott Johnston said.

"Call this simple? Duskull use Will-O-Wisp!" James cried, and Duskull shot a single fireball into the air, while still using Icy Wind. The Will-O-Wisp moved around to the back of Numel, and hovered there, not attacking, just as James had planned. From inside the Icy Wind, Numel saw the Will-O-Wisp, and mistakenly took it as the eye of Duskull, despite the fact that it was the wrong colour. The Numel turned around and shot the flame thrower at the Will-O-Wisp, which destroyed it, but that didn't matter. It had achieved what James had wanted it to.  
"DUSKULL USE SHADOW BALL!" James yelled. Duskull stopped the Icy Wind and formed a ball of darkness in its arms, then threw it at Numel, which was facing the other way, completely exposed. It was a direct, critical hit, which blew Numel off its feet, to send it plummeting to the ground some distance away. Out cold.

"Matt, you see anything?' Shelly asked into her walky-talky.

"NO," Matt's voice yelled back, "Nothing but tonnes of bloody mosquitoes! Why don't the bloody grunts do this? Why us?"

"Because Archie told us to do it." Shelly replied.

"PWA," Matt shouted back in anger, "You're only not complaining because of that thing you two have going. That's why your up there, and I'm down here." Shelly smiled. Archie had sent them to trek through the rain forest near the Fortree Channel, heading inland from the coast. Latios, who would be attracted by the soul dew that Shelly was carrying. Exactly why Archie wanted a Latios, Shelly had no idea, but she did know that she was supposed to catch it at all costs. To do that, she had a Master Ball. She only needed one. That was all it would take. The rainforest had been a strategic choice. Latios, but folding back their wings, could fly faster then jets. However, in the lush, claustrophobic, messy jungle, Latios wouldn't be able to fly away. However, Latios was still a legendary Pokemon, and there was a reason for that. In order to catch it, Matt was trekking along on the forest floor, providing backup if Shelly needed it. Shelly herself was clambering along in the canopy. She was good at it, hell, she was practically a Monferno. Before she had joined Team Aqua, she had done a lot of gymnastics and circus performing, and after years of training on the trapeze, the high branches were easy. Up high, exposed by the sky, Latios was more likely to attack, as it had the advantage of an open space. In this event, Shelly would simply let go and drop down to the undergrowth, and Latios would be forced to follow. Down in the jungle, two against one, Shelly and Matt would have the advantage.

About twenty metres above the red haired Team Aqua agent, Lyra floated among the clouds, riding on her Altaria. Luckily, people hardly ever looked up, especially when they considered themselves on top of the world. Lyra had been taking advantage of this fact for the last two hours, slowly following the girl as the climbed through the forest, waiting for Latios to appear. Lyra knew that her only chance to save the eon Pokemon was to find it first, and the only chance of that happening, was if she stayed close to the Aqua agent with the lure. Suddenly, the unthinkable happened – Shelly slipped slightly, and although she instantly regained her footing, in her moment of peril, she looked up. Lyra saw Shelly's eyes widen as she spotted the Altaria above them. Altaria were not found here, they preferred drier climates. The only reason an Altaria would be here, was if a trainer was here also. Lyra could see the red haired woman draw a pokeball, and she knew instantly that she didn't want to see or fight the Pokemon inside.

"DRAGON BREATH!" Lyra yelled, and her Altaria screamed in agreement, and shoot a mighty yet of flame at the woman in the tree tops. Shelly's eyes widened in shock and she dived away from the tree, avoiding the blast. The attack blasted through the tree tops, burning a circle in the canopy, but within seconds something was flying out through the trees. A Crobat; probably released from the woman's pokeball, which had been sent flying when she fell. The Crobat flew straight at her with amazing speed.

"Dodge it!" Lyra screamed. Her Altaria, graceful but not speedy, and hindered by its passenger, turned in the air to avoid the bat Pokemon, but not fast enough. Crobat bit down upon Altaria's beautiful wing, using a Poison Fang attack, causing Altaria to scream in pain.

"No." Lyra whimpered, as her beautiful Pokemon began to fall, poisoned by the attack. The Crobat flew up, around, then turned back to face them, launching an Air Cutter attack at them, which hit Lyra, the intended target, knocking her off of Altaria. Lyra fell through the air, straight toward the canopy of the forest, which was rushing up toward her like a solid ground. She closed her eyes, expecting to die, and she suddenly felt the leaves and vines of the forest cutting her sides and arms as she ripped a path through them. Before shirt, ripping through the fabric but catching on the collar. Lyra felt a moment of pain as the collar of her shirt caught her entire weight, like a hangman's noose when the floor is dropped underneath. The Crobat swooped down and dropped its prey, letting it fall a good five metres to the ground. Lyra landed painfully, falling face down on a shallow stream, the ground of which was covered in stones. She couldn't get up. She simply lay there, sobbing. A shadow fell across her. The large male agent she had seen in Latios's memory reached down, pulled her to her feet, and then punched her across the face. Her world went dark.

Thanks to Duskull and Kirlia, James had, somehow, made it to the final round. After Duskull's perfect victory over Numel, Kirlia had dispatched of a Machop with a ease, and then beaten a Grotle in a hard and exhausting battle. During both battles, Scott Johnston had repeatedly announced that James hadn't stood a chance, and that he himself had bet against James. This, more then anything, was what James was thinking about while he sat in wait in the changing rooms, before the final match of the festival, which would be against none other then Joel. Joel, who had entered three, high level, fully evolved Pokemon, hadn't lost a match. Wally on the other hand had tied or lost three times, and had been eliminated. James wanted the prize desperately, and he also didn't want to lose in front of Scott Johnston, but the trouble was that that nightmare might become a reality. In fact, he would be surprised if it didn't, owing to the fact that the judges had told him to use Treecko. Before his first match, James would have been happy to use his first Pokemon, yet, after the performance it had given, James had started to have doubts whether he could ever use it again in competition. The problem was that it loved the spotlight, and it loved it so much that it didn't want to share it with James, this lead to it disobeying his orders, which ultimately led to defeat. James took out its pokeball, complete with leaf emblem, and pressed the centre button to send out his Pokemon. Treecko appeared beside him in a burst of light.

"Treecko," James said. The Pokemon sat down, yawing. "I'm going to use you again, to battle with you again in this competition. But you have to listen to me Treecko." Still the Pokemon showed little interest, although its eyes did sparkle slightly at the mention of battling in front of a crowd again. "Treecko, you _have_ to listen to me, because if you don't, I'll…I'll…I'll let you go." James said, sadly. That got Treeckos attention. It looked straight at him. James knew that no matter how much it wanted to be the only one in the spotlight, it still liked battling with him. And the two of them had become close. Good friends. Not as close as some trainers got, but close. It tore him apart to have to say this, but he knew that if Treecko didn't fix its attitude now, it wouldn't be able to ever fix it. And James would continue to lose. And he knew that it was better to experience the pain of losing Treecko now, then to draw it out, get closer to it, all the while never getting so close that Treecko cared more about James then it did about winning.

"Please Treecko, just listen to me. It doesn't matter if we win or lose. Just listen to me." James croaked. It tore his heart to have to do this. Yet he had to. He could see Treecko thinking about it, about what life would be like without him. They had been close for months, and to suddenly lose each other would be a huge shock. A trainer's first Pokemon was special, so much more so then any other they would ever get. They lived out their lives together, and became closer then they could have believed possible. To miss out on that would be terrible, James knew.

"Ok, time to go." A stage hand told him. James stood up, and gestured for Treecko to climb up. Treecko hesitated for a second, then jumped onto his leg and clambered up, until he stood on the highest point of James's back, looking out over his head. James walked toward the doors, and slowly headed out. Outside, it was night, but the stadium was lit by huge spotlights. The stands were packed to bursting point, and Joel was already standing in his square, on the opposite side of the huge arena. James walked slowly out to his, not hearing the roar of the crowd or Scott Johnston's insulting comments. Was James's imagination playing with him, or was treecko holding onto his hair slightly harder then was necessary, as if treasuring this last moment together? Treecko, on his back, was thinking hard. It knew, regardless to what it may appear, James loved it very much. He had never treated Treecko in any way to suggest otherwise. Ever since that fateful day, when Treecko had put its tail in the way of that pokeball, Treecko had known that being with James had been its choice, and it was staying to do what it wanted to do. Now however, James had said that he was going to release him if Treecko did not take orders from him. And, trying to make its decision, Treecko realized something. It loved James back. He didn't ever want to be separated from James, neither as master and Pokemon, or as friends. And he knew that both depended solely on this battle. James had said that if Treecko listened to him Treecko could stay. But Treecko would do better then that. Treecko would win. And not because of the spotlight, or to avoid the pain that came with loss, but to simply make James happy

James stood still in his box, and when the umpire raised his flags, James nodded to show he was ready. Treecko jumped off of his back, and ran onto the arena, to join Joel's massive Cloyster. James saw, rather then heard, the Umpire say the words 'let the battle begin' and he drew breath.

"Nature Ball." James ordered.

"Take Down!" Joel yelled. Cloyster rushed forward, but Treecko jumped out of the way easily. The wood gecko Pokemon looked around at the cheering crowd, his eyes gleaming, but then the Pokemon closed them forcibly, and clenched its tiny fists. It formed the Energy Ball in its hand and threw it at the Cloyster, hitting the water type slightly to the side, causing it to spin around, helplessly. James's heart leapt. This must mean that Treecko had chosen to stay! He suddenly had new found strength.

"Follow up with a Bullet Seed!" James called. Treecko ran up after Cloyster, jumped into the air, and then started pelting out a barrage of seeds down at the Pokemon, delivering a critical hit. "YES!" James yelled in triumph, and his Pokemon landed on the Cloyster and jumped off. For once Scott Johnston appeared lost for words, as he suddenly stopped explaining how Energy Ball was a bad choice to start the battle. However, the fight wasn't over yet.

"Aurora Beam!" Joel yelled, and the shell of his Pokemon, which had closed during Treeckos assault, opened and a beam of light spilled out. Treecko jumped away, and ran forward, dodging Cloysters attack.

"Pound! Aim for the middle!" James instructed, and his Pokemon jumped into the air, and threw down its thick tail. But Cloyster simply snapped shut, and Treeckos tail smashed into the water Pokemons shell. Treecko jumped backward, and James could tell that it was trying hard to ignore the pain that came with the failed attack. That shell was a problem. There had to be some way to get past it some how. Then it clicked: the shell had to open for Cloyster to attack. Sure, some attacks like Spike Cannon and Take Down didn't require an open shell, but powerful attacks like Aurora Beam did.

"Don't attack, Treecko, wait for it!" James told his Pokemon, who nodded.

"Fine then," Joel said, "Cloyster, use spike cannon!"

"Bullet Seed!" James yelled. Spikes started flying from Cloyster, but were knocked away but Treeckos Bullet Seed.

"Take Down!" Joel ordered, and his Pokemon rushed forward, its shell still closed.

"Vault it over you!" James said. Treecko nodded, and lay down on the ground. When Cloyster was nearly on top of him, the Pokemons feet pushed at the thick shell, sending the Pokemon flying harmlessly over Treecko.

"YES!" James cried, delighted that his plan had worked. The crowd cheered for him. Most of them had either watched James's first battle or at least heard about his Treecko disobeying him, and to see them now, working in unison, was a great sight to behold. Joel however, didn't care that the crowd wasn't on his side. He didn't need to crowd to win battles.

"Aurora Beam!" Joel directed, pointing at Treecko.

"Bullet Seed and Energy Ball!" James told Treecko, as the beam of light came rushing forward. Treecko spat out Bullet Seed, then formed an Energy Ball in its hands, throwing it through its first attack. The Energy Ball was shredded to pieces on the Bullet Seed, but the small pieces of energy attached themselves to the Bullet Seed, giving it extra power. The Bullet Seed, despite having a disadvantage against an ice attack, cut easily through Aurora Beam, and pelted Cloyster at the other end. "Pound!" James called, and his Pokemon rushed forward in the wake of his attack, but just before it reached the open shell of Cloyster, its owner snapped it shut. And now Treecko was standing at point blank range, and James had just fallen into a trap.

"HYPER BEAM!" Joel shouted, and the shell of Cloyster opened once more, and this time a huge blast of energy followed. The attack engulfed Treecko, blasting it off its feet.

"NO!" James said in shock. They had been doing so well. Treecko was engulfed in bright light, but when the beam of energy faded, and Treecko was revealed, lying on the ground, the light didn't fade with it. Treecko was glowing brightly. And the entire crowd moved to the edge of their seats as Treecko got to its feet, turned to James, and started to evolve. Treecko grew longer, taller, its tail became flatter and longer, and leaves unfurled from its arms and head. It became on the whole, leaner, taller, longer, faster, and stronger. Then the light appeared to shatter into thousands of pieces, and Grovyle was revealed. Grovyle tested out its new arms, looked at the leaves growing there, and then at James, who was smiling with delight. Who cares if they didn't win the prize now? He had a new Pokemon anyway. In saying that however, he still wanted to win, and he didn't want his first battle with Grovyle to end in a loss. Cloyster, who couldn't move for a while after using Hyper Beam, had now recovered, and Joel knew that with Grovyles new power, this battle would be over soon. He had to make every move count.

"Use Aurora Beam!" Joel shouted. The burst of light shot toward Grovyle, whose eyes flashed at the sight of it.

"Dodge it!" James said, and Grovyle jumped high into the air, dodging the attack and landing behind Cloyster. The leaves on Grovyles arm glowed, and fused together into one blade, which Grovyle slashed across Cloyster.

"It learnt Leaf Blade?" Scott Johnston said in astonishment. James laughed in delight.

"Its close to you again, Cloyster use Hyper Beam!" Joel shouted, and his Pokemons shell broke open, and the beam of energy was once again expelled, straight at Grovyle.

"Slam!" James said, and Grovyle lashed out with its tail, sending Cloyster spinning into the air, the Hyper Beam going askew.

"Close you shell!" Josh yelled.

"Now, Finnish it with Leaf Blade!" James said, and Grovyle jumped high into the air, and slashed downward, in between Cloysters shell, cutting it open. The Bivalve Pokemon fell to earth, and cracked open, showing everyone in the packed stadium that the Pokemon inside was out cold. Grovyle landed lightly, and turned to receive the approval of the crowd.

"Cloyster is unable to battle, James is the winner!" The umpire said.

"Unbelievable!" Scott announced. James left the box, walking toward the umpire and Josh, who had approached Cloyster and was now checking his Pokemon.

"Is it alright?" James asked. Josh smiled.

"Cloysters fine, great battle, thanks." Josh said, holding out his hand. James shook it, and the crowd roared in approval again.

"Congratulations James, you are the winner of this year's Feaffle Town Cup," Someone said behind them. James turned, and saw the mayor of the town standing there, "and here is your prize." The mayor was holding out a blue ribbon with his name on it, and a small white Premier Ball.

"Thanks," James said, allowing the mayor to pin the ribbon to his shirt, and taking the ball from him with trembling fingers.

"Well, don't you want to see what it is?" the mayor asked. James laughed, and pressed the button to enlarge the ball, then threw it high into the air. The ball soared, sinning, then it opened, and light was sent out, which landed in front of him, and when it faded, James's new Eevee was standing there. The crowd let out a collective sigh as they spotted the prize, and Eevee looked around with large eyes. James bent down and picked it gently up, feeling its soft fur. It stared up at him, and started to purr as James scratched its ears. Behind him, Grovyle let out a cry, reminding them that it was standing there. James let Eevee jump out of its arms, and turned to face his original Pokemon.

"I guess you can't ride on my head any more huh?" James asked it. Grovyle looked at James, taking in his new hight compared to it, then sighed. "High five?" James asked, holding up his hand. Grovyle cried in delight and span around, slapping James's hand with considerable force. "ARGH!" James yelled, clutching his red hand. Grovyle stood tall, with mock pride at slapping James so hard. Eevee walked over and sniffed at the wood gecko Pokemons leg. James laughed at Grovyles expression of initial disgust, before it picked the evolution Pokemon up and started to stroke it. Things were certainly going to get much more interesting from now on.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Latios

"Eevee, use Bite!" James called to his newest Pokemon. Eevee walked slowly toward the paper bag James told it to attack, lay down next to it, and started to lick it. "No, Eevee, Bite it." James told it. Eevee looked around at him, then picked up the paper bag and brought it back to James in its mouth. James couldn't help but laugh at the sight of it. He crouched down and took the bag from Eevee, dangling it above the Pokemons head. Eevee looked up at it, and then stood up on two legs, reaching for it. It was very cute. James supposed that Eevee was just too young to learn to battle, and he would have to save that for when it was older. James continued to play with his newest Pokemon for a few minutes, after which Eevee got too tired for playing, after which time it seemed to decide that it had had enough. James picked it up, cradling it in his arms, and walked back to the Feaffle Town Pokemon Centre, stroking it. Eevee purred. James didn't drop Eevee off with the nurse when he reached her desk, instead he took the Pokemon straight to his, Wally and Joel's room. Eevee was still young, and it had seemed to have taken James in as a surrogate mother. Now, on the few occasions where James left the room Eevee was in, it would start crying. Also, there was the issue about its Premier Ball. It wasn't as though Eevee didn't like to go in, it was more the fact that James preferred to have Eevee out of its ball, either being carried by James, in his backpack, or walking beside him. James didn't know why he had become attached to Eevee in this way, he hadn't to Grovyle when it had been a Treecko. It was probably because Eevee was covered in beautiful fur, and was just so much more cuddly then treecko, with hooks on its feet and leathery skin covering its body. James was brought back to reality when something large and blue slammed into the ground outside his window.

"What the heck?" James muttered aloud, and ran to the window to look out. It was some sort of Pokemon. It was writhing in pain or confusion, trying to get up, into the air once again. James scooped up Eevee and ran out the door. He ran all the way past the astonished nurse and out the front door, then turned and ran around the outside of the building. When he arrived at the crash site, he found the Pokemon shaking its head, trying to clear it.

"What happened to you?" James asked, and at the sound of his voice the Pokemon reared, and jumped into the air. It flew a meter, then collapsed again.

"What's happening? WHAT IS THAT?" The nurse cried, who had followed James outside.

"It's hurt; you know what's wrong with it?" James asked, watching the Pokemon writhe.

"It might have been poisoned, but from what Pokemon I don't know." The nurse said.

"What about a Crobat?" James asked.

"How do you…" The nurse started to ask, but before she could finish James dived on top of her, pushing her out of the way of an Air Cutter attack, launched from up high by a Crobat.

"Get some antivenin," James said, pulling out his Dusk Ball "I'll take care of the Crobat." James threw the Dusk Ball into the air, and Duskull appeared in a flash of dark light. "Shadow Ball" James told it. Duskull shot the ball of darkness at Crobat, but the bat Pokemon dodged the attack with ease, and dive bombed Duskull. Crobat bit down hard with a Crunch attack, swung Duskull in a wide arch, then threw the Pokemon to the ground. "Duskull return!" James said, and withdrew his Pokemon to its ball. "Go Kirlia, go Grovyle!" James threw two of his leftover balls into the air, and his Pokemon appeared in flashes of light. "Confusion and Leaf Blade!" James's Pokemon performed the attack they had been practicing with him since their victory in the tournament. Kirlia used Confusion, and picked up Grovyle, shooting him at Crobat. The result was a direct hit with Leaf Blade, and then Grovyle topped it off with a Slam attack, knocking the Crobat to the ground. "Don't let it go!" James said, and Kirlia caught the Crobat in a Confusion attack. James ran forward and gripped onto the base of the Crobats wings, preventing it from flying. The Pokemon struggled, but it couldn't move.

The nurse had administered the antivenin, and the Pokemon, which James now knew was a Latios, was sleeping in the cricket nets. James, the nurse, Wally and Joel were now standing around the magnificent Pokemon, admiring it, while the Crobat screeched noisily from a cage nearby.

"Why was Crobat after it?" James asked.

"Cause its trainer was after it." Joel said.

"Why was its trainer after it?" Wally asked.

"It's a_ Latios_, who wouldn't pass up an opportunity to capture it?" the nurse asked, "Even if the only way to capture it was to do something as terrible as this."

"Lyra would." Joel said. The rest of the group looked at him. Joel sighed. "That's what Lyra went looking for. She thought she had found out where it was resting, so she rushed off to capture it."

"So Lyra did this?" James asked. He didn't believe it. The Lyra he knew was extreme, hard, but she would never hurt a Pokemon to this extent, just to capture it.

"No," Joel said, forcibly, "Lyra would never... And besides, she doesn't have a Crobat."

"Then she must have lost Latios somewhere, and someone must have found it, and done this." James said.

"No," Joel said again, "She wouldn't have given up; she would still be following it. Something's happened to her." Suddenly the Latios let out a cry, and the world around them suddenly went dark.

"What the hell?" Wally asked. James was thinking the same thing. They could see each other, as well as themselves, but everything else was pure darkness. Then the darkness faded, and they were surrounded by blue. The nurse screamed. James, looking down, saw what looked like the tree tops miles below them, and in the distance, was a city. They were suddenly falling, faster and faster, and the trees were hurtling up toward them. Then they stopped, and James's stomach lurched as he expected himself to keep falling. They were in the canopy, and looking down, they could see the forest floor. Three figures were tramping through the undergrowth. One was clearly a man, the other two women, one with lots of red hair, the other with brown.

"LYRA!" Joel said, recognizing his girlfriend. The three figures stopped, talked for a moment, then the woman threw out a pokeball, and the Crobat flew into the air. The world suddenly became immersed in darkness once again, before the cricket nets came back into view.

"What was that?" Wally asked.

"Latios can project its memories into our minds." Joel said, "Those two were the ones who were trying to capture Latios…they had Lyra." Joel said. Nobody said anything for a moment, and then James spoke.

"We need to help Lyra, and Latios," He said, "If we knew what city that was…"

"Mauville City." Wally said, instantly. The other three looked at him. "What?" he asked, "Sometimes I can surprise you."

"Yea, that's a good way of putting it." James said, "Listen, let's get going. Joel, Wally, we'll Teleport over to Mauville, try to find them."

"What about me?" The nurse asked.

"You stay here, help Latios." James told her, and she nodded. "Lets go."

The three trainers reappeared in the shade of some trees. They were close to Mauville City, and the rainforest that started at Fortree was starting to thin. All around them were the sounds of Pokemon scampering away, startled by their sudden appearance, and of birdsong from the trees. James put the cage holding Crobat on the ground, and enlarged his Kirlias pokeball.

"Good job buddy." James told it, as he returned it to its ball. Wally did the same with his own Kirlia, while Joel took out one of his own balls and threw it into the air. A Pelipper appeared in a flash of light.

"Hey Pelipper," Joel said, "Go and find Lyra." Pelipper let out a cry, then flew up, through the tree tops and out of sight. "May as well make ourselves comfortable," Joel said, sitting down against a tree, "He might be a while." James looked at Eevee in his arms, and Eevee stared back with huge brown eyes.

"Sorry buddy," James said, returning his evolution Pokemon to its ball, "But this is too dangerous for you."

However, it wasn't long before Pelipper was back.

"You found her?" Joel asked, and his Pokemon nodded. "Good, take us to her." Joel ordered, and Pelipper once again flew up, through the canopy and into the open sky. This time though, it stayed in sight, and the three humans followed it through the forest. They walked for quite a while. It would have taken no time at all if they were flying, but on the ground there were trees in the way, and the ground bore no kind of trail. After a while, they met up with a stream, working its way downhill, and they jumped into the shallow water, grateful for the easy path they had been given. As they walked, they began to notice the stream growing, until it became a river, and eventually the river split, one end heading toward the ocean, the other into some sort of lagoon, with a large island cave in the middle. They walked down the path to the lagoon, but before they had cleared the trees Joel grabbed them and pulled them back.

"Get down!" He whispered, pulling them into the cover of the trees.

"What?" Wally asked.

"Look." Joel told him. James crawled toward the cover of the conveniently placed bolder, and peered over. On the beach of the island, near the mouth of the cave, were three people. One was Lyra. She looked battered, but ultimately in good condition. She was sitting in the cave, looking very much like a prisoner. The other two were adults: the man and the woman they had seen in Latios's vision. They appeared to be taking a break. Around them were their Pokemon: a Seviper, a Mightyena, a Sneasel, two Sharpedo in the water, a Crawdaunt and a Huntail.

"Dam," James whispered.

"What is it?" Joel asked.

"They've got all their Pokemon out, there's loads of them."

"How many? What are they?" Joel asked. James listed the names of the Pokemon. "Dam." Joel said, "This is probably going to be a big battle."

"They look pretty high level." Wally said, stealing a peek too."

"We've got to use all our Pokemon if we want to win," Joel told them, "Don't send them al out at once, lets send out three each at least though, and then we…" Joel never finished telling them the plan, as at that moment, Shelly's Crobat, still in the cage, let out a screech, and the Mightyena on the beach looked up and snarled. James and Wally jumped, then ducked to try and avoid being seen by the figures on the beach, but it was that very movement that gave them away. The Sneasel jumped off the sand, jumping off the heads of the Sharpedo and landing on the teenager's side of the bank, and darted to them with amazing speed.

"POLIWRATH GO!" Joel roared, and his tadpole Pokemon erupted from its ball and caught the surprised Sneasel in a Vital Throw.

"Sharpedo use Ice Beam!" Matt ordered, and his Sharpedo froze a bridge onto the surface of the lagoon with an icy blast. All of the Aqua Pokemon either swam or ran across the lagoon, straight at the three teenagers, who came out of hiding, Pokeballs in hand.

"Magneton!" Wally called out.

"Grovyle!" James shouted.

"Pelipper, Poliwrath, Hydro Pump!" Joel ordered, and his two Pokemon, one in the sky, the other on the ground, both shot a great torrent of water at the ice bridge. Lyra, from inside the cave, looked up, saw who had appeared, and jumped to her feet.

"Grovyle, Leaf Blade!" James instructed his Pokemon, who ran to answer the challenge of the Seviper. The poison Pokemon jumped forward, its fangs bared, and Grovyle held it its Leaf Blades to defend itself, catching the Pokemons jaws. James ran forward:

"Slam!" Grovyle fell backward, and used its feet to kick Seviper into the air, then jumped up to join it and whacked the Pokemon with its tail. "Yes!" James said, punching the air.

"Magneton use Thunder Wave!" Wally said, and his Pokemon let out a blue surge of electricity into the water, which paralyzed all of the water bound Pokemon. The down side to Thunder Wave however, was that the effects stopped when the attack died, so Magneton was temporarily vulnerable from attack from other Pokemon. The Mightyena ran forward to exploit this fact, but met only the Poison Jab attack by Wally's Roselia. Mightyena jumped backward, whimpering in pain. James didn't blame it for not seeing the Roselia, which must have been no more the thirty centimeters tall. Joel left his two Pokemon, which were in the process of beating up the Crawdaunt, and ran across the ice bridge, toward the opposite bank.

"Lyra, are you ok?" He asked when he reached the cave.

"I'm fine," She told him, "But they have my Pokemon.

"Slowking!" Joel yelled, and without throwing a pokeball, his Pokemon appeared. Its crown started to glow, and Shelly and Matt were thrown backward; six pokeballs flying out of Shelly's bag and back to Lyra. "Thanks Slowking." Joel said.

"It was my pleasure." Slowking said, walking toward the waters edge and using Psychic again, capturing every Pokemon which wasn't a dark type, as they were resistant to psychic attacks. Magneton let go of its hold of the water Pokemon, as Slowking had taken over, and used Thunder Wave on the dark types instead.

"Well," James said, realizing that the battle was over, "That was easy." Grovyle shouted at him, and James looked up just in time for Grovyle to jump at him and slap him hard in the hand.

"ARGH!" James yelled, holding his stinging hand while Wally and Grovyle laughed. Across the water, Joel and Lyra were sharing a kiss. They broke apart, and Lyra walked over to Shelly.

"You know," Lyra said, "I'm going to enjoy taking you to the police." Shelly couldn't answer, as Slowking had frozen her, but her eyes glared. Then something happened that no one was expecting. From high up, something cried out, and what looked like blue lightning burst across the sky.

"Not good." James said, as Latios flew down to land on the island beach. The legendary Pokemon walked toward the frozen form of Shelly, looking into her bag.

"Oh no!" Lyra yelled, "It wants the soul dew!" No one else knew what she was talking about for a moment, then it became clear as Latios gave out a cry, and Slowking shot backward in a burst of psychic energy, releasing its hold on the group. Latios ripped the bag away from Shelly and stuck its head inside, looking for the soul dew, giving Shelly's Seviper, who had now unfrozen too, an opportunity too good to waste. The snake Pokemon surged across the ice bridge, tail coming up to deliver a poison filled slash to Latios.

"NO!" James yelled, running forward, he just managed to grab hold of the Pokemon. The Seviper hissed and lashed out, and Latios took to the air in fright, and then blasted the Pokemon with a Psychic attack which sent it flying. James smiled, then felt his legs give way. He collapsed on the ice bridge, hitting his head. His vision fading, he looked at his right arm, and saw a long cut, seeping blood, infected with purple venom.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 – a new ally

"All right, he's coming round."

James opened his eyes, which were heavy, and waited for his vision to clear.

"James, can you hear me?" Someone, a nurse, was standing over him. James blinked. He hadn't a clue how he had gotten to wherever he was. Searching his mind, he recalled running after a Seviper, trying to stop it from cutting its venomous tail into Latios. Suddenly everything came flooding back, and James sat up.

"Whoa, James, take it easy." The nurse was saying, "You had a large amount of Seviper venom in your system, and we had to give you quite a bit of antivenin and a transfusion."

Looking around, James saw that, in the hospital room with him, were his nurse and two Pokemon. One, an young Eevee, was fast asleep on the end of his bed, while the other, a great blue Latios, was crouching by the window.

"Brought you here, he did. What a marvel." The nurse said, following James' eyes.

"How long ago?" James asked.

"You've been here about a week." That wasn't something James needed to hear. When he had been hit by the Seviper, his friends Wally, Lyra and Joel had been fighting off two members of Team Aqua. God knows what had happened since. James threw back the blankets. "Wait!" The nurse cried, "You can't just leave! You're not rested enough."

"I'm fine; where are my clothes?" James asked, realizing that he was, of course, wearing hospital robes. "And my Pokemon?"

"If you must," The nurse signed, before turning to leave the room, "But you had better be prepared to pay up, you can't stay a week without paying a cent."

Within an hour James had changed back into his clothes, attached his belt – containing the pokeballs of Eevee, Grovyle, Duskull, Kirlia and Carvanha – to his waist, paid the hospital using his credit card, and gone outside. Latios was with him too. He needed to get to wherever the others were, as he couldn't escape the feeling that they were in trouble – and anything could have happened in a week. Outside in the sun, on the edge of Mauville City, James suddenly realized that he not only had no idea where to look for his friends, but no way to get to them. However, as if it knew what James had been thinking – which it probably did – the Latios flew forward and landed in front of him, its wings spread out. The meaning couldn't have been clearer.

"Let's go." James said, climbing onto the Pokemons back.

It took them a matter of minutes to reach the site of the battle, in which James had been hurt. However there was no signs of activity. The water was calm and clear, the grasses were still, the trees – though damaged – were calm. The two of them had just touched down however when Latios' head snapped toward the direction of the trees.

"What is it?" James asked, and the Pokemon, as if following orders, let out a psychic attack to retrieve whatever was in hiding. Perhaps the Pokemon was grateful for what James had done, which would have explained why it had taken him to the hospital in the first place, and why it had remained until James had woken. As the attack moved through the brush, it snagged hold of a man and brought him out. At first James thought – or assumed – it was Wally, however the man was a complete stranger. White hair sticking out from under a green bandana, a red jacket, long black pants and runners, the teenager, no older then James, was pulled from the bush. He was hanging upside down from the attack, suspended in the air by an ankle, and so his green pack slipped off and landed on the ground.

"Oi, put me down." He yelled.

"Who are you, what're you doing here?" James asked.

"This is where I train," The stranger said, "Names Brendan, what are _you_ doing here?"

"Looking for my friends," James said, "You haven't seen them have you? They were here battling some Aqua people a few days ago."

"Let me down and I'll tell you." Brendan told him. James sighed and nodded to Latios, who lowered the teen to the ground. He jumped to his feet. "Have you seen them?" James asked again.

"Nope," Brendan said, "But, god forbid, if they've been taken, I know where they'll be."

"How?"

"The team Aqua secret base isn't as secret as they think it is. I've been there hundreds of times. I used to train there." James stared at him.

"You trained in the base of a criminal gang?"

"You want me to take you or not?" Brendan asked, unzipping his pack and withdrawing a pokeball. James nodded. "Thought so." Brendan said, throwing his pokeball into the air "Go Pidgeot!"

Although not as fast as Latios, Pidgeot was speedy, and the pair of flyers reached Lilycove City in good time. They quickly flew over, and landed on the coast, at the base of the lighthouse. After the flight, Pidgeot was exhausted, though Latios on the other hand was perfectly unruffled.

"That's one awesome Pokemon you have," Brendan said, "It must win you every battle."

"It's not mine, its wild." James told him.

"Shame." Brendan muttered, eyeing the Pokemon with sudden and intense interest. "Anyway, you see that rock out there?" He pointed, "That's the Aqua base."

"How do we get inside?" James asked.

"There's a release cable on the inside. And there are a bunch of underwater vents, though none big enough for a person." James smiled at this, and pulled a pokeball from his belt.

Carvanha swam through the vents, with room to spare, and up to the surface on the other side. What, from the outside, looked like a huge rock protruding from the ocean; looked on the inside very much like a loading bay. There was a few metres of deep water, surrounding a metal platform, in the centre of which was a staircase which led down into a tunnel extending many metres below the surface. Carvanha looked around and spotted what it was searching for. Latios had scanned Brendan's mind for a picture of the cable for operating the door, and sent the memory to Carvanha. Now the little fish swam toward the metal rope and started to Crunch down upon it, to no avail. After a few seconds in which the Pokemon lost all of its patience, its teeth froze and it began to use Ice Fang. Within a moment the cord had frozen, then shattered, and the previously invisible door fell forward.

"Let's go." James said, seeing the door fall away from the rock.

"Wait," Brendan started to say, before Latios picked them both up with a Psychic and flew with them toward the base. Inside, they were dropped on the metal platform before they noticed that there was already someone on it. The grunt took a startled step backward, completely bewildered by the door suddenly breaking and, a second later, the arrival of the two teens and Latios. However, before the grunt could react, Latios had knocked him out cold with a Psychic attack, and Carvanha had leapt from the water to attack the grunt's Mightyena. It only took a second before the tiny fish had knocked out the dog.

"You're getting strong." James noted, withdrawing Carvanha to its ball, before hurrying down the steps with Brendan. The hallway was easily large enough for Latios to fly, and it did so, directing them through the metal halls as if it somehow knew where it was going. It apparently did, however, because without running into a single dead end, they suddenly found themselves facing a metal door which, when Latios blasted it away, revealed Wally, Joel and Lyra. All three were filthy and bruised, however they seemed altogether alright.

"James!" They all cried, jumping to their feet.

"Hey, you guys okay?" James asked.

"We're fine," Lyra quickly said, "We have our Pokemon, they're balls are sealed shut so we can't open them, but we can fix that later – Teleport us out, quickly!"

"Too late." Someone said from behind them. James whirled around to see a very formidable man standing there. "Archie, head of Team Aqua." He told him.

"Hi," James said, pulling out Kirlia's ball, "Now if you'll excuse us."

"You know," Archie said, quickly, "That you'll never escape us. As long as Latios is out there, we'll be hunting him, until we finally get him into this." Archie pulled out the Master ball. "The rest of you can go, all I want is Latios, in this ball." James glanced at the Eon Pokemon. It looked back, and James felt something in his mind, as though the Pokemon were speaking to him.

_Let's give him what he wants._

James nodded, and suddenly the Master ball flew from Archie's grip with a blast of psychic energy, and straight into James'. From there, it bounced to Latios' back, capturing the Eon Pokemon in a burst of purple light.

"NO!" Archie yelled. James laughed, as Kirlia was released from its own ball and twirled around once, sending the five teenagers hundreds of metres away in a flash of white light. James grinned. He had rescued his friends, captured a legendary Pokemon, outsmarted the head of Team Aqua; and without even a single badge. Not bad for a beginner.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – the start of a farm.

James' mum walked along the hallway, pausing every few steps to look into the cages on either side of her. She was at the pound, looking for a dog to surprise James with. With her was a member of the staff, who was suggesting pretty much every single Pokemon for her to take.

"That one would make a great pet-"

"What's this one called?" She asked, kneeling down to look into the large cell, at the back of which a large yellow and blue Pokemon was lying.

"That's an old Manectric," He told her, "You don't want that, it was brought up by some Pokemon trainer, no idea how it got here, but it's too old to fight and it's too restless to be a good pet."

"Poor old thing." She said, before standing up, her mind made.

"I'm home." James said, walking into the once haunted house in which his family now lived. After they had escaped from Team Aqua, the group decided to head back to Fortree for a while, despite the fact that they hadn't visited a single gym on their trip. The group – which now included Brendan – had made use of James and Wally's Kirlias and their Teleports, and had gotten back to the city in a second. Latios however, wasn't with them, as James had more or less released it. It still technically belonged to him, and he still carried its Master ball, however he had decided to give it complete freedom.

"James!" His mum said, coming round the corner and hugging her son. "Did you get many badges?"

"Nope, not one." James said, brightly.

"Oh," His mother said, slightly confused, "And who's this?" She was looking at Brendan, who had decided to come back to Fortree with the rest of them.

"Brendan, a friend of mine, can he stay with us for a few days? We'll be heading out again soon."

"You can stay as long as you like."

"Thanks," Brendan said, stepping through the door, "Hey James, you didn't tell me you had a dog."

"Surprise, dear!" His mum said, as James spotted the very old looking Manectric lying on the floor. "I got it for you; the man at the pound said it was an ex-battler, it might know some tricks."

"It looks ancient." James said, walking over to the dog and kneeling down. The Pokémon raised its head slowly, before putting it back on the ground.

"It looks like it has arthritis." Brendan said. Suddenly Eevee's ball opened, and the evolution Pokémon appeared next to James. It took a few steps closer to Manectric, before the Pokémon raised its head again, scaring Eevee. However, then the electric type reached out and started to lick Eevee's fur, making it purr.

"Awe," His mum said, watching them, "I bet you two are hungry. You better get a good night's sleep tonight, I think your father will want you to go out into the forest to help him tomorrow." The two boys groaned.

Sure enough, the next day, the two teenagers were escorted into the rainforest by James' father. They had only brought a few Pokémon – James' Grovyle and Manectric, and Brendan's Pidgeot – with them, so the rest could have a nice, well earned, relaxing day.

"Why are we out here, again?" James asked.

"Tropius, my dear boy." His dad told him, "We need to find a nice big herd, then you need to capture the bull. Once we have the bull tamed then the rest of the herd will stay near the property."

"Unless a new bull takes charge." Brendan pointed out. At this James' dad stoped in his tracks, lost for words.

"Let's capture them all." James said.

"How?" Brendan asked.

"Capture the bull, then the herd will probably let us capture it." James said, before bringing out a pokeball. "Grovyle, come on out!" The grass type appeared. "Find us a herd of Tropius." Grovyle cried out, before running into the forest. It somehow knew exactly where everything was in the rain forest, and would take little time to find the herd.

After about half an hour, they had found them. The herd had settled in a small clearing in the forest, and, although they could obviously sense the people, the tropius did not stir. They continued about their business, eating fruit that, to a person, was disgusting.

"So which is the bull?" James asked.

"I'm guessing that one." Brendan said, pointing. Toward the middle of the group, there sat an utterly huge tropius, twice the size of the rest. Also different about it, was the areas on which normal Tropius were brown, such as the neck and legs, were on the bull dark green. "Good luck with that." Brendan said, patting James on the shoulder.

"Go on son." His dad said.

"I hate you both." James said, stepping into the clearing. Grovyle followed, showing absolutely no fear. "Give it a Bullet Seed." James told his Pokémon, and Grovyle responded, shooting a barrage of seeds straight at the bull. When they hit, the massive Pokémon rocked backward, and for a second James thought that it would go down with a single attack. Then the bull came down, his legs slamming the ground and making it shake.

"Look out!" Brendan yelled from behind them, and James looked quickly at the bull to see a Solar Beam collecting in its mouth, the members of the herd hurrying to get out of the way. Tropius let loose, and the beam of light shot forward, knocking Grovyle clean off its feet and throwing it down some metres away, unconscious.

"Return; Go, Manectric!" James threw his newest Pokémon's ball, and his electric type immerged. Tropius roared; and James couldn't help thinking about how frail and old Manectric looked against the bull. "Thunderbolt!" James yelled, and Manectric let loose a feeble bolt of electricity, which barely reached the bull. It shook the attack off, before coming charging. James ran out of the way, however Manectric didn't move.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" James roared at it. However the dog didn't move. James pulled out his pokeball and recalled it, just as Tropius would have trampled the Pokémon.

"James," Brendan called, "Get it to use Thunderbolt on itself, it might be able to give itself energy."

"That doesn't even make sense!" James called back, before throwing the Pokémon back out. "Hit yourself with Thunderbolt!" Suddenly the air around Manectric was full of sparks, which, after a few seconds, began to grow. The Pokémon shook itself out, and turned to face Tropius. "It worked," James breathed. "USE SPARK!"

Manectric took off like a bolt of lightning, sprinting toward the Tropius at tremendous speed, sparks flashing around it; before slamming into its target. The electric type rubbed up against its opponent, the close range electricity bursts shocking it. James pulled out a pokeball, throwing it into the air. The ball landed on the back of the huge creature, and it was suddenly sucked up in a flash of red light. The captured Pokémon flew back to James, who smiled, thinking about one of his newest Pokémon. Not Tropius, but Manectric. He was going to enjoy battling with that one.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – student exchange

It felt good to be back at Pokémon Trainers School.

It felt even better to be back at the colosseum.

"Hey James, wait a minute!" Falkner said, running after James a few minutes after he had dismissed the crowd at the colosseum. James, of course, stopped, and turned to his teacher.

"Glad to see you back, James, how were your travels?"

"Good," James said, "Didn't get any badges, but they were good."

"Suppose this colosseum is a bit dull after that, hey?" Falkner said. James, ready to deny, paused. Sure, he had spent the day battling with Grovyle, Manectric and the Green Tropius(which was the only one of the herd which James liked to battle with), who were easily his best Pokémon. He had assumed that had been the reason of his easy victories. Wally had already left again, heading to Verdanturf Town to stay for a while with his aunt and uncle. Since he left, James' Kirlia had been noticeably subdued, as had now been separated Wally's Kirlia for longer than ever before. James' was male. Wally's a female. You didn't have to be a genius to work it out.

Brendan had also left, heading to Pacifidlog Town, in search of a powerful Pokémon to capture. James however, although given an offer to come, had decided to stay, as Pacifidlog town held absolutely nothing desirable to him; not that he could think of, anyway.

Lyra was gone, back to wherever she gets off to. And Joel had gone to Dewford Island to train his Pokémon at sea. James had, at first, been about to ask to come along, before realizing that Joel had simply been stating a fact when he had told James about it, not looking for company.

Anyway, without his friends – who also happened to be the best trainers at the school – the colosseum seemed rather dull compared to what James had experienced on his journey. He had however chosen to ignore his feelings, telling himself instead that conditions would inevitably improve as time wore on.

"I was just wondering," Falkner continued, "Cause, I got this call today; sees our sister school in Rustboro City is looking for a trainer to visit, show off to the students some of the regional Pokémon." At this James became slightly confused.

"Why?"

"Oh, you know," Falkner said, "A lot of their students have never been out of Rustboro, don't know what the world is like out there. Even if they have, it's a lot less humid down in those parts, and the Pokémon are very different. You wouldn't find Tropius or Carvanha down there – and you have both. It would be a good opportunity to show the students Pokémon such as those, up close. Also your Grovyle, some of them would of course have Treeckos and such, but there's wouldn't have had training swinging through the trees every day like yours; it would be interesting to compare them. Anyway, Rustboro Pokémon trainer's school is looking for a student exchange, someone to stay for a week or so. They're willing to give free accommodation. You interested?" James thought for a moment.

"Why not, what've I got to loose huh? Might even be able to get myself a badge while I'm there."

"That's the ticket," Falkner said, smiling, "I'll make the arrangements."

Later that day, James was sitting on his bed with Eevee curled up near him, his backpack packed and ready on the floor, his pokeballs around his waist, and Kirlia standing near him, looking thoroughly depressed.

"Come on, Kirlia." James pleaded with the Pokémon. It let out a sigh, span around on its toe, and the room flashed in a pathetic attempt at a Teleport. Its last goes hadn't been much better. James sighed too, and stood up to look at the map of Hoenn on his wall. It was an awful long way to walk. For a second he stood wondering how long it would take Latios to reach him, from wherever it happened to be at that moment. Then James realized that he didn't need Latios to fly. He double checked that he had all his Pokémon. He was fairly sure he had; six pokeballs were at his belt, and he was leaving Duskull on the farm. Pulling off Kirlia and Eevee's pokeballs, he withdrew the Pokémon – mainly because Kirlia was too heavy and Eevee not sure-footed enough to stay on board a Tropius as it flew. Running outside, James was immediately released that there was no one watching, as he pulled out a pokeball and was about to throw it, when his fingers found the leaf emblem on the front of it. He had been about to yell for Tropius, and send out Grovyle. Shrinking the Pokémon, who was undouble feeling confused, James pulled off the pokeball third down on his left side – Tropius. However, his swagger gone and flushed with a wave of humility, James didn't throw the ball into the sky, but simply pressed the button to open it while in his hand. Thankfully Tropius appeared, shaking out its majestic wings, looking monstrous in the midday light; a being of dark green, of the forest.  
"can you fly me to Rustboro?" James yelled at it. Tropius cocked its head, before shaking out its leaves. James took that as a yes, and climbed up. When he was ready, with his arms around the Pokémon's neck and his feet dangling and sure to grow quickly numb, he patted Tropius and the fruit Pokémon flapped its wings. Nothing happened at first, as Tropius was a very heavy flyer, but within a second it was lifting off the ground.

It took about an hour. Tropius was a slow flyer. Latios, James was sure, would have taken minutes. However the fruit Pokémon was heavy, less accustomed to the air. Be that as it may, the trainer had expected it to take much longer than an hour. He was pleasantly surprised, therefore, to touch down next to a Pokémon Centre, and even happier to spot a sign that directed one toward the hot springs that were apparently at the back of the centre.

"Hang on a tick." James said, walking up to the sign near the centre. 'Lavaridge Hot Springs'

"Damn."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – first attempt at a badge

"All right James, your Pokémon are ready." The nurse said. James smiled and thanked her, taking his five pokeballs back off her. She had been checking his Pokémon, making sure that their ready for battle. While he was in Lavaridge Town, he might as well try his hand at the local gym. He walked back to the desk he had been waiting at, and which still held a desktop computer and his Eevee. Still too young for battle, and not even aware of basic principles, the evolution Pokémon was definitely not going to be in his fight with the gym leader. It gave a purr as James sat down, and he stroked it, enjoying the feeling of its soft brown fur. James shut down the computer – he had just been wasting time on Facebook anyway – and stood up again. It was time to face Flannery and get his first gym badge. That was a given – the thought that he might lose never entered his head.

The gym was located only a short walk from the Pokémon Centre. As James reached it – a large rectangular building with glass sliding doors, behind which was a blank wall – James turned to check that Eevee was still with him. The evolution Pokémon preferred to walk wherever possible, and James was perfectly happy to allow that, although Eevee had a rather annoying, though very cute habit of simply sitting down when it was tired, and not making any noise to announce that it had done so. However Eevee had kept up, and it now was standing at James' ankle, looking up at its owner in a way that made it look as though the Pokémon was puzzled as to why they had stopped.

"Awe well, let's go on in." James said, walking forward, through the automatic door. Inside it was very hot and steamy, made possibly worse by the huge fans on the walls, which were simply blowing the hot air around. Eevee let out a small noise, and James picked it up and began stroking it as he walked. Around the corner was a desk, at which a man stood.

"Yes, yes hello?" He said, as James came through, "What an adorably adorable Pokémon, I love what you've done with its fur, look how it dazzles in the light!" James looked down at Eevee, who didn't seem to be enjoying the heat.

"Whatever, can I battle the gym leader?"

"You have an appointment?" He asked. James had indeed called earlier.

"Well, go on through there, have fun!" The man said. James gave him a strange look before walking through.

The gym was just as steamy as the hall – a large empty colosseum-like room, except with no grandstands. An arena had been marked out in white paint on the floor. After a few awkward seconds of waiting, a girl of about twenty ran in. Flannery. Behind her was an umpire, dressed in the usual white.

"You my challenger?" Flannery asked. James nodded.

"James."

"I'm Flannery. You aren't battling with that are ya?" She looked at Eevee.

"Why does everyone assume I'm going to battle with Eevee, just cause I'm holding it?" James asked.

"Calm down, send out your Pokémon."

"But don't you," James said, slightly confused. He had always assumed that the gym leader would send their Pokémon into battle before the challenger.

"My gym, my rules." Flannery said.

"Fine," James said, withdrawing Manectric's pokeball. He was already throwing it into the air when he realized that there was some sort of indent on the ball's surface. Grovyle appeared. The ball flew back to James, who looked at it quickly, seeing what before he did not – the leaf emblem on it.

"Damn." James said.

"What a bad choice." Flannery said, surveying Grovyle, who was trying to make it look as though the heat didn't affect it. She pulled out a pokeball, and threw it into the air.

"Go Arcanine!"

"Damn."

"This is a two on two Pokémon battle. The battle will be over when both of a trainers Pokémon are unable to battle. Begin!" The umpire called out.

"Fire Blast." Flannery said, and her Arcanine responded with a howl, sending out the star shaped attack.

"Dodge it and Quick Attack." James yelled, and his Grovyle ran forward, slid under the flames, before shooting toward its opponent.

"Fire Fang." Flannery said, calmly, and her Pokémon turned. Grovyle's attack was lost in the huge volume of fur that made up Arcanine's tail, and when the legendary Pokémon turned back around, fast as lightning, it bit down hard on Grovyle's arm. Fire was released, at close range, through the Pokémon's teeth and onto its victim, before Arcanine threw the wood gecko Pokémon away. Grovyle hit the wall and fell, landing on the ground and not moving.

"Grovyle is unable-" The umpire said, raising a flag, but James interrupted him.

"No! Wait!" James looked to Grovyle, who had stirred. Then the Pokémon slowly picked itself up.

"Fire Blast." Flannery said, and her Pokémon responded.

"Bullet Seed!" James yelled, and his Pokémon let out a volley of shots. However the seeds were simply burnt to nothing in the flames. Grovyle leapt up, onto the wall, then away, avoiding the Fire Blast, before going into a Quick Attack.

"NO DON'T DO THAT!" James said, "PULL OFF, DO A BULLET SEED!" However Grovyle didn't pull off. Just like it used to do when it was younger, Grovyle had taken control. It charged toward Arcanine, faster than James had ever seen it. However, Arcanine was faster.

"Extreme Speed!" Arcanine suddenly disappeared, and a red streak flew around the battle field. Grovyle stopped, confused, before being snatched up and pulled along, being smacked on the ground, as Arcanine completed another circuit. Then Arcanine stopped and Grovyle rolled away on the floor, well and truly unconscious.

"Return." James said, recalling the Pokémon.

"You too." Flannery said, recalling her Arcanine.

James, sure this time that he had the right ball, threw out his Manectric, and was relieved when he saw it immerge.

"Okay then," Flannery said, throwing out her ball too. In a flash of red light, a Houndoom appeared.

"Begin!" The umpire yelled.

"Charge." James told his Pokémon.

"Flamethrower." Flannery said, confidently. Fire burst from Houndoom's jaws, and wrapped around Manectric. However the electric type ignored it, and soon electricity was crackling around it.

"Keep charging!" James said, and his Manectric did so, until James judged that it had gathered sufficient power. "Thunderbolt!" James cried, and the fire was cut in two by a storm of lightning.

"Reflect." Flannery said. The Thunderbolt, charged to enormous levels, bounced back and hit Manectric at double the power. There was a great BOOM, and when James could dare look, he saw his Pokémon passed out cold.

James walked out of the gym, his Eevee in its ball, heading for the Pokémon centre. His first attempt at a gym badge had ended in complete and total failure.

"Hey!" Someone said from behind him. James turned and looked, and saw the male secretary to the gym.

"What do you want?" James asked.

"Have you ever fought fire types before?" He asked.

"What? Yea, of course!"

"Have you ever beaten them?"

This James couldn't answer, because the truth was that he hadn't.

"Look," The man said, "If you wanna beat fire types, then you gotta go on their turf. No Pokémon can stand the heat like a fire type. Use that, and you're gonna be on an equal playing field.

"Yea, but where do I GET a fire type?" James lashed out.

"Up on the mountain," He said, pointing, "You can find them there." James looked up. He had been on the lookout for a fire type for some time now. He looked at the man, then back up at the mountain.

"I'll see you soon." He said, before continuing down the road to the Pokémon Centre.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – a new fighter

As James climbed higher up the gradual slope of the mountain, he grew more and more embarrassed. Here he was, sweating and panting and clutching a stich which had a chance at a record, while tiny little Eevee bounded ahead, every so often looking back to check that it hadn't lost its owner. The trees were thin here, and the ground was covered in hard, lava, which had hardened hundreds of years ago.

"Need a bit more practise climbing, by the looks of it." A man chopping wood said.

"Yea." James said, resisting the effort to simply tell him to shut up. "I'm looking for fire types; you know where I can find em?"

"Up on the mountain there," The man pointed.

"Hey!" A little girl said, walking up to James from the house twenty metres or so away. "Awe, it's so cute!" The girl ran up to Eevee and picked it up. Eevee purred as the girl stroked it.

"What's its name?" The girl asked.

"Uh… Eevee."

"That's not a very good name." The girl said, in a matter of fact way, "By the way, I can show you where the fire types hang out, if you want. My names Natalie, by the way."

"Um… Sure, Natalie."

"Be back before dark." Her father said, as Natalie started walking up the mountain.

Great. Now there were two small cute things kicking his butt.

No matter how fit you are at running, if you don't do steps regularly, then you lose your breath when you try em. That same thing was happening on the mountain. James was fit, and could walk for a long time without tiring; but put on a slope and his was a wreck.

"You're not the only one whose really bad at walking." The little girl said, as she and Eevee clambered up the rocks.

"You don't say." James breathed, pulling a water bottle out of his pack. It wasn't like he had a relaxing life. Yesterday he had experienced a good licking at the Lavaridge gym, and as a result both his Grovyle and Manectric were still in the Pokémon Centre, healing. This morning he had headed out bright an early in search for a fire Pokémon, on the mountain near Lavaridge, and it was now past midday. Eevee, who for some reason didn't feel like just staying in its ball, would take it in shifts to either be bounding around him with almost endless energy, or trudge along beside James until he picked it up and carried it.

"FOUND ONE!" Natalie yelled, "COME QUICK!" Jame sighed and walked over to where the girl was standing, peering over a bush at a terrified Numel. It was looking up at them with fearful eyes, trembling.

"Don't really fancy a Numel." James said, "Go on, scat!" He waved his arms, attempting to make the Pokémon flee, however it just stood there, looking fearful.

"Why don't you want a Numel?" Natalie asked, as James sighed and continued up the mountin.

"I just don't."

"Why not?"

"It's not my style. I prefer tough Pokémon."

"Eevee isn't a tough Pokémon."

"Depends on your definition." James breathed, as the evolution Pokémon once again decided that it needed to be carried up the mountain. It was another five kilos to carry.

"So… What Pokémon do you want?"

"I don't know, what Pokémon live up here? Fire types, I mean."

"Well, there's Numel." The girl said.

"Yes, I realized." Jame sighed.

"And Slugma, and Combusken-"

"There are Combusken up here?" James interrupted.

"Uh, yea." Natalie said, nervously.

"Where are they?" James asked, eagerly. Combusken were the pre-evolved form of Blaziken. There wasn't a single trainer growing up in Hoenn who didn't want one. The problem was, that a Blaziken was a double edged sword. It was an immensely powerful Pokémon once trained right, but the easiest way to get it was to pick a Torchic as your first Pokémon. No self-respecting boy starting out as a trainer would pick a Torchic.

"Up there." Natalie said, pointing to an outcrop some way up the mountain. Let's go!" James said, starting into a rather pathetic run.

"If you get a Combusken will you give it a nickname?" Natalie asked, keeping up easily.

"No."

"Why not? You should call it Blaze. Blaze is a good name. Isn't that the name of its thingy?"

James paused for a second, before realizing what she meant. "That's its ability, yea."

Reaching the outcrop, James found a space of flat ground. Remarkably flat ground, in fact, as though something had flattened it. However that wasn't nearly as interesting as what was happening on it. Toward the middle of the space two Pokémon were battling. However there were no trainers present.

A Machop ran at a Combusken, its hand glowing in a Karate Chop attack, while the young fowl Pokémon waited for it, standing on one leg. When the superpower Pokémon reached it, Combusken acted instantly, kicking it upward with the leg it hadn't been standing on, then grabbing its foe and throwing it to the ground. By whatever rules the Pokémon were fighting with, it seemed that the Machop had lost, and it now walked slowly away. Combusken's eyes flashed, and it looked toward the two humans.

"Oh yea," James said, putting down Eevee and pulling out his dusk ball.

"Go Duskull!" James cried, throwing it. His ghost type immerged in a flash of black light, hovered in the air for a moment, before suddenly swooping down on Natalie, who screamed.

Then she laughed.

Duskull rolled around in the air, waving its arms and sending out small burst of Will-O-Wisp. James laughed too.

"All right Duskull, shoot a Shadow Ball at Combusken, make it a warning shot." James told it. The ball of darkness smashed into the ground at the young fowl Pokémon's feet. It got the message. The fire type jumped into the air and cut at Duskull with a Slash attack. Being a normal move, however, it went straight through. Combusken landed back on the ground, confused, as James shouted at Duskull to use Will-O-Wisp again. The blue flames soared down and started to circle Combusken. However this Pokémon wasn't intimidated like most other Pokémon would be.

"Attack it!" James told Duskull. Suddenly the balls of fire zoomed in on Combusken, but the Pokémon leapt out of the way, then straight at the ghost, feet first. The Double Kick attack didn't effect Duskull, and it flew straight through.

"Grab it!" James yelled, and his Pokémon gripped Combusken's feet.

"Confuse Ray!" Duskull deposited Combusken on the ground and with a flash of its eye, the Pokémon began to stagger.

"Now!" James said, for no reason at all, pulling out a Premier Ball and throwing it. Thankfully, it hit, and with a flash of white light, Combusken was sealed.

"YES!" James cried, holding the ball above his head, "I CAUGHT A COMBUSKEN!"

"You caught Blaze." Natalie

"Not Blaze, Combusken." James said, grinning, "And now that badge is all mine, isn't that right Blaze?"

"Ha! Even you called it Blaze!" Natalie said.

"Not Blaze, Combusken, not Blaze." James said. "Blaze, Combusken, Blaze…" However, for some godforsaken reason the name had stuck.

"Damn!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – trial of steam

James sat, on the morning of his rematch against Flannery, the leader of the Lavaridge town gym, on a semi-comfortable chair in the Pokémon Centre, drinking a cup of very pipy orange juice, and eating his way through a bowel of sultana bran – his favourite cereal. His match wasn't for over an hour, so he was drawing breakfast out, taking much more time than usual, because of nerves, and the fact that time seemed to be going slower – which was a pity, because he had absolutely nothing to do.

Pokémon, though allowed in the cafeteria – if they were small enough – weren't usually found there. As you tended to be eating among fellow trainers, having your Pokémon out tended to attract eyes, and seeing powerful Pokémon belonging to other people made you nervous about your abilities. Therefore, James was faintly surprised when his newly caught Combusken walked up to him and sat down opposite. Eevee, who had been sleeping on the table, and obviously still too young to battle, looked up. A moment later a faintly amused nurse appeared at the table.

"This yours?" She asked.

"Yea, that's Blaze." James said. The Combusken then proceeded to pull James' bowl of sultana bran towards it, lift it up, and start to drink.

"Well, it looks like it's in perfect shape for battling." The nurse said, "Didn't have much time to examine it. I think it found being treated like the other Pokémon rather… degrading. I've met Pokémon like this before. They don't think there humans, but they do think of themselves as above other Pokémon."

"It's not gona stop taking orders in the middle of the battle is it?" James asked, dreading a yes. He had too much experience with disobedient Pokémon already.

"Oh no." The nurse said, "I doubt it. More likely it will just behave…well, rather snobbish, when facing a weaker foe."

"Eh," James said, as Blaze plonked the bowl down, "I'm cool with that."

A while later, James and Eevee were once again walking towards the gym. At his belt were two pokeballs. The other four – including Eevee's which it hardly ever used – were inside his backpack, as a precaution. He had worked out a strategy, and James didn't want it ruined by him choosing the wrong ball. When he reached the gym however, James found Flannery and the umpire waiting outside it.

"There, you are, took your time." Flannery said. By James' watch it was 10:36. The match was set for 10:45.

"Why you waiting out here?" James asked.

"I like to have rematches in a different arena," Flannery explained, "Because more often than not trainers use the same Pokémon, and this way it aint as dull."

"I'm not using the same Pokémon though." James pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. Let's go." Flannery said, and started off down the road.

The three of them stopped at a place in which James did not expect.

"The Lavaridge hot springs?" James asked, in semi-disbelief.

"Yep." Flannery said, "It's a really unique field. Really makes you change your strategy."

_Well, not really_. James thought to himself. His strategy came down to simply the Pokémon he was intent on using, so it wasn't likely to be effected by the hot springs. Flannery lead them inside, past the front desk, where the person stationed there recognised her and let them through without comment. They walked through the pools of boiling and steaming water, some of which had Pokémon and people – who, in James' opinion, weren't wearing enough clothes – and to the back of the area, into a fenced off space. Once inside, James found an official sized arena, which was almost completely comprised of one large pool of steaming water. There were several columns of rock protruding from the ground, on which a Pokémon could stand; and in a ratio of rock to water, the rock would probably make up more of the arena. However, if one was concentrating on something else – say, fighting off an opposing Pokémon – then they could very easily fall right into the hot water.

"It is a two on two Pokémon battle. The battle will end when both of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle. Are both trainers ready?"

"I'm ready." Flannery said, as a jet of steam was released from the pool, obscuring her features.

"Yep, I'm good." James said, spinning the dusk ball on his finger.

"Send out your Pokémon." The umpire said. There were two flashes of light, and Arcanine and Duskull took to the field. "Begin!"

"Icy Wind!" James cried. Duskull shot a gust straight at the legendary Pokémon, but after the attack blew over the field of steam, it was no longer cold at all.

"All right, that didn't work," James said, "Shadow Ball!"

"Fire Blast." Flannery said, and her Pokémon shot the star shaped attack toward Duskull. The two attacks combined, and the Shadow ball dissipated, breaking up the Fire Blast.

"Into the ground!" James said, and his ghost Pokémon dived. James hoped that, as it could go through walls, the boiling water wouldn't hinder it. He needn't have. Duskull sunk beneath the surface.

"When a Duskull appears, Fire Blast it." Flannery told her Pokémon. Duskull obviously had a sense of humour, because this appeared to be a situation it couldn't miss. Suddenly the water in between the rocks started to glow, and then white light burst upward. Cracks of light took up the whole field, before they faded; and then a Pokémon rose up. It was nearly as tall as James. Duskull had evolved.

Dusclops' hand suddenly became encased in a burst of black light, and it hit the confused Arcanine in with a powerful Shadow Punch – a critical hit.

"YEAH!" James yelled, and Dusclops looked over at him, as Arcanine picked itself up from where it had been knocked – several metres away.

"Fire Blast!" Flannery said.

"Block it." James instructed, and Dusclops smacked its hands together, brought them apart, and let loose an Ice Beam. The two connecting attacks exploded, and the shock wave rippled Arcanine's fur.

Dusclops was unaffected

"Shadow Ball!" James said, and his Pokémon hurled a ball of darkness at Arcanine.

"Extreme Speed!" Flannery said. Suddenly Arcanine was nothing more than a flash around the arena.

"Will-O-Wisp!" James told Dusclops, "Aim at the water!" The ghost Pokémon let five balls of blue fire into the air, and then directed them at the ground. Each created a mighty splash, which startled Arcanine, causing it to trip.

"Shadow Punch!" James told Dusclops, who ran forward, his fist glowing, and punched Arcanine for all it was worth.

"Arcanine is unable to battle!" The umpire yelled, as the legendary Pokémon lay, motionless, on the ground. There was a flash of red light, and it was gone. Dusclops sunk beneath the ground again, before rising in front of James.

"You did it, good job." The trainer said, "You fancy a break?" Dusclops nodded, and James pulled out the dusk ball. There was a flash of dark light, and the Pokémon was gone.

"Go Houndoom!" Flannery said, throwing her pokeball out. James too, pulled out his ball – the Premier ball.

"Go Blaze!" With a flash of white light, the Combusken appeared in front of James, facing Houndoom, shaking out its feathers. Ready to fight.

"What an original name." Flannery said, sarcastically.

"Get over it." James told her.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Flamethrower!" Both trainers yelled. Both Pokémon acted. Two jets of fire shot toward each other, and neither lost. Both attacks met in the middle, embers flying in every direction. James was all for seeing how it would turn out, which Pokémon would triumph. Flannery however, obviously had other ideas.

"Mirror Coat!" Flannery told her Pokémon, so quietly that James couldn't hear over the noise of the Flamethrowers, however he guessed what was happening when suddenly Blaze's attack burst forward.

Then back.

"Dodge!" James cried, and Blaze jumped to the left, before springing forward.

"Slash!" James told it, as Blaze drew its arm back.

"Flamethrower!" Flannery told her Pokémon, and Houndoom let loose a jet of fire, pushing Blaze back. The Combusken jumped away, unhurt. James stamped his foot. How was he supposed to get close enough to hut Houndoom? A special attack could just be sent back, and it was impossible to get close enough to Houndoom to reach it with a physical attack. Unless, of course, it was taken by surprise.

"Flamethrower!" James called, and Blaze responded. Just as before, Houndoom sent it right back.

"Double Kick, right through it!" James called out, and Blaze, understanding, jumped into the air, spinning. It flew, feet first, through the fire, then fell straight at Houndoom – a dark type. The attack was super effective. Houndoom was knocked off its feet, and knocked unconscious.

"YEAH!" James yelled, as Combusken leapt into the air again, crying out in celebration.

'Hum." Flannery muttered, as she withdrew her Pokémon. She hadn't expected a hard battle. She had expected an easy win. James had surprised her. He was good.

"Here's your badge, James." Flannery said, handing the flame symbol to him. It flashed in the sun, and was covered in tiny beads of water from the hot spring. James took it off her, his face in a grin.

His first badge.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – a lesson and a tour

"All right everyone, listen up." The announcer said, walking across the arena, shouting through a microphone to the crowd that had gathered in the grandstands. "There'll be four battles today; one on one fights with a trainer whose visiting from Fortree." The announcer walked back down the arena, past the umpire, and up to the trainer standing in the box at one side.

"Now, Marcus here has bravely volunteered to be the first fighter. Marcus, your Pokémon please."

"Go Marshtomp!" Marcus called, throwing his pokeball forward. There was a red flash, and the water/ground type appeared.

"And now," The announcer said, as though he had completely forgotten about Marcus, "Will our newest battler please step forward. Please put your hands together…"

"It's show time." James said quietly to Eevee. He was standing in the shadows, off the arena, in the corridor that lead from the back stage rooms under the grand stand.

"FOR JAMES MILLAR!" The announcer cried, pointing suddenly toward James. The audience screamed as a pokeball flew from where the trainer was standing, broke open, and released a flash of red light, which turned into a Manectric. James walked onto the arena, into the box, and couldn't help but grin as all around him cheers were thrown. It seemed that none of them, not a single person, had taken his decision of Manectric as a reason to believe that James was stupid. The electric type was at a massive disadvantage. No way a trainer would do that on purpose – unless they knew exactly what they were doing.

No. James wasn't stupid.

James was brilliant.

"BEGIN!" The umpire yelled.

"Mud Shot!" Marcus yelled, and his Pokémon instantly shot bullets of mud toward Manectric.

"Charge." James told his Pokémon, and sparks flew, before the Pokémon suddenly disappeared. It was sprinting around the arena, using speeds only capable of electric types. It smashed into Marshtomp head on, and the Mud Fish Pokémon fell backward. Before it had time to recover from the head on collision, Manectric had already gripped one of its fins in its teeth.

"Bite, and swing it around!" James called, and Manectric did exactly that, throwing the Pokémon a few metres away.

"Next challenger please!" The announcer yelled, as the umpire deemed Marshtomp unable to battle.

"Good work Manectric." James said, patting his Pokémon's head, and experiencing a zap from the electricity that was still in its fur.

"Growlithe!" A girl by the name of Jess called, sending her puppy Pokémon into play.

"Blaze!" James called, throwing the premier ball out. There was a flash of white, and Combusken appeared. It took one look at its opponent, then turned back to James.

_Seriously?_

"Flame Wheel!" Jess said, and suddenly the rolling fire Pokémon bashed into Blaze, before speeding away and turning.

"Double Kick!" James said. Blaze sighed and ran forward, jumping into the air and landing, both feet at once, on top of the puppy Pokémon. The Flame Wheel was broken, and Growlithe stumbled backward, before being hit in the face with a Slash attack.

"Next please!" The announcer called.

Blaze walked back to James.

"Well get you some good opponents, I promise pal." James said, before returning the fire type. "Dusclops!"

The beckon Pokémon appeared, and within a few seconds it was joined by a boys Starmie. The water Pokémon flew through the air.

"Water Pulse." The trainer said, and the mysterious Pokémon started to shoot balls of water down upon the field.

"Go down into the floor!" James instructed, and the ghost type slid beneath the floor. "Will-O-Wisp" James said, and suddenly blue fire balls flew from the ground. Starmie tried in vain to avoid them, even letting lose a few Swift stars to block them, however the fire burnt it repeatedly.

"Shadow Punch!" James said, and suddenly Dusclops reformed above ground, and smashed its fist into the water type, knocking it unconscious.

"Grovyle!" A kid by the name of Simon yelled, sending out his Pokémon.

"What the hey." James smiled, pulling out the leaf embossed pokeball and throwing it. By now the crowd was screaming louder then ever.

James could NOT lose this.

"Leaf Blade!" Both trainers called, and their Pokémon rushed forward. James' ducked under a blow from Simon's, before slashing it across the face, then jumping backward.

"Up on the celling!" James told it, and his Grovyle rushed at the wall, and leapt up it, until it was on the underside of the roof. "Now Bullet Seed, and finish it!"

Grovyle blasted a torrent of seeds from above, and Simon's covered its face with its hands. Then, in a move rehearsed with James countless times, his Grovyle let go of its grip on the celling, and dropped.

It opened a Leaf Blade.

Simon's stepped out of the way.

James' landed in a handstand, then burst upward, kicking Simon's in the face, knocking it out.

The crowd roared its approval.

"JAMES, everyone!" The announcer said.

"Oh yea." James said.

Backstage, James had just finished checking over his Pokémon, where were all now safely in their pokeballs and on his belt, when a girl walked in.

"Um, hi." James said, awkwardly.

"Hi, I'm Roxanne." She said.

"The gym leader?"

"Yea, that's me."

"I was gona go over to battle you soon." James said. The battle teacher at the school had decided that the best way to show off James' Pokémon was through a battle, which was why the colosseum challenge had been made. Now that was over, James was more or less free to enjoy Rustboro, although the battle teacher did want to see him again a few times before he left town.

"Yea, I heard that you wanted my badge." Roxanne said, "And I also heard from Flannery that your pretty good." James snorted.

"I kicked her butt, and all she says is that I'm 'pretty good'?"

"You beat all the trainers today too," Roxanne pointed out, "But does that mean you're a great trainer? Or just a good battler?"

"Um…" James said, not quite getting the question. Roxanne laughed.

"Come with me. I like your Eevee, by the way."

"Thanks."

"This," Roxanne said, stopping James on the street outside a very tall building, "Is the Devon Corporation building."

"Why are we here?" James asked. Roxanne smiled at him.

"Do you have a clue what goes on inside your Pokémon's heads, James?"

Inside, they were greeted by a man of about thirty.

"Hey Steve." Roxanne said, punching his fist.

"Hey Roxanne, whose this?"

"James, I brought him here to show him what goes on inside Pokémon's heads,"

"Of course you did," Steve said.

"I think he might be letting his skill get away from him." Roxanne finished, as though no interruption had taken place." There was silence for a few seconds, before Steve held out his hand.

"Steven Stone," He said, holding out his hand, "President of Devon Corp, and-"

"Campion." James said, dumb struck. This was unbelievable. He was actually meeting a member of the Elite Four. He was meeting the Campion.

"Close that mouth James, unless your fishing for flies." Steven said, and James shut it. "Let me show you around."

"Up here is where the best stuff happens." Steven said, as the lift doors opened. They walked out into a wide empty space, of which the walls and roof were covered in carpet. Unlike the other floors, this one had no office cubicles or desks, but had instead three massive machines against the far wall. There were a few workers – most in smart clothes – walking about, as well as a few which were standing around a…

"Oh God." James breathed, his voice quavering. It was Steven's Metagross. James had seen the pair of them on TV, ripping apart countless Pokémon that were so strong James wouldn't have believed it possible. Seeing it now was like seeing a shooting star – you didn't want to look away, because you knew it could vanish at any time.

"Hey buddy." Steven said, walking up to his Pokémon. James and Roxanne followed. It was enormous. Usual Metagross were only about one and a half metres, but this one towered over them.

"Metagross has been helping us with the Pokémon Transformer." Steven explained.

"Oh James you have gotta try that." Roxanne told him, nudging his shoulder.

"The what?" James asked.

"The Pokémon Transformer." Steven said, "It was supposed to transform you into a Pokémon, hense the name, but what it actually does is it puts you in the mind of a Pokémon. Like hitch hiking. You can't control anything, but its fun."

"Cool," James said, "Can we give it a go?"

"Sure," Steven said.

"On once condition." Roxanne said, quickly.

"What's that?" James asked.

"Yes, Roxy, what is that?"

"You have to be inside a Pokémon's mind as it battles. See how it feels."

"Can we battle in here?" James asked, "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Metagross can stop anything that might damage the building." Steven told them, confidently, "But seeing as you won't be able to actually tell you Pokémon what to do; do you have any that would battle on their own?"

"Blaze will." James said, pulling out his Premier Ball. With a flash of light, a Combusken stood before them. Metagross suddenly gave a roar, and everyone jumped.

"Nothing to worry about," Steven said, quickly, "He's just telling Blaze what he's getting into. Now James, come over here, and put this on your head…"

Suddenly, the blackness was broken by a flash of white light, and James' vision was restored. He had just spent the last ten minutes locked inside Blaze's head, as the Combusken and a Geodude of Roxanne's battled. He now understood just how much Blaze liked jumping around. He bent over double and was sick all over the carpet.

"Well that's not very good." Steven said, matter-of-factly, "Can someone get him a bucket? Or at least some sort of box? Metagross, clean this up." With a burst of psychic energy, the sick lifted away from the carpet, and fell into a nearby bin. Roxanne patted James on the shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Too many flippies." James managed to say.

"All right James," Roxanne said, twenty minutes or so later, "Are you ready to try big machine number two?"

"Is 'no' an option?" James asked.

"No," Steven said, "Come on James, "Try out the Pokémon Speaker."

"Which is?"

"Lets you talk to a Pokémon." Roxanne told him. "You got any Pokémon you want to talk to more than the others?"

"What, no, I don't know which to talk to." James said, before instantly realizing that he did in fact have the perfect candidate. There was a flash of light, and his Kirlia appeared.

"Excellent." Steve said, now come over here. He lead them to one of the machines, this one with two huge speakers on either side, and a giant computer screen in the middle. Below the screen was a circle drawn on the floor.

"Just get Kirlia to stand in the circle." Steven told him.

"Simple as that, hey?" James asked, directing his psychic type to do so.

"No, not simple," One of the nearby workers mumbled, "bloody complicated, completely comprised of horrific physics which _I_ had to work out."

"ANYWAY." Steven said, "Now we just get it going… And there. Hey Kirlia, what's happening?"

"Nothing, really." Said an electronic voice, coming out of the two speakers. The words also appeared typed on the computer screen.

"You can understand us now?" James asked, bewildered.

"I could always understand you." Kirlia said, "Just never talk back. I can also sense your emotions. I know how you love to win battles, and I do try, but I just can't; not anymore."

"Okay." James said, slightly shocked at how moody his Pokémon seemed to be. "Why can't you battle?"

"I know it isn't your fault that I have been separated from my mate, however I can't find the energy to battle, not since she left." James didn't know which was worse – having the very awkward talk with his Pokémon about his Pokémon's girlfriend, or the terrifying glare Roxanne was now giving him.

"You separated him from his mate?" She almost yelled at him.

"Well, um, not really… I guess." James muttered, "Like, I caught this one and my friend caught its mate. We didn't know till after. Then he moved away…" Kirlia looked up at this.

"You know where my mate went?"

"Um…yea?"

"Can you take me to her?" Kirlia asked.

"Yes we can." Roxanne said, forcibly. Both Steven and James now looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Um… We?" Steve asked.

"Well, you don't have to come," Roxanne said to the Campion, "But you do, James."

"Well duh I have to, it's my Pokémon."

"The exercise would probably do me some good." Steven muttered.

"Fine then, its settled," Roxanne said, "We're going to-" She looked at James. "Where your friend go?"

"Verdanturf." James told her.

"Verdanturf!" Roxanne finished.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – a desperate battle

Wanda, Wally's cousin, looked up from the garden, to see a strange sight. A Skarmory, which never appear this far south, and a Tropius, which _never_ appear this far south, were flying together, across the sky. A minute later, the two Pokémon had turned into a dive, and they were coming in to land – in her garden. Before she could do anything to stop them – though how would she have stopped them, even if she had the time – the two Pokémon had landed in front of her. One of them, the Skarmory, was carrying a man in his twenties. The Tropius was carrying two teenagers.

"Hey." Said James, looking around. Roxanne, who had flown with him on Tropius, was now nudging her way down the fruit Pokémon's back. During the flight, she had kept her arms fixed around his stomach – he had to admit that he rather enjoyed the sensation. After she had gotten off, James jumped down, and addressed the woman again.

"Wally here? We have the right place?"

"What? Yea, he's here; who are you?"

"Oh," James said, quickly, "I'm a friend of his from Fortree-"

"James? By any chance?" She asked.

"Yea, how did you-"

"He's told me about you; I'm Wanda." She said, before looking to the other riders.

"I'm Roxanne, the gym leader in Rustboro." She said, smiling.

"Steve Stone, Campion." Steven grinned. Wanda sighed, half with exasperation, half with amusement.

"WALLY!" She yelled at the house. There was a second silence, before Wally materialized in front of them."

"Yea Wanda, what's…" That's when he caught sight of the visitors. "James! What you doing here?"

"Ah, you know," James sighed, "Me and the Rustboro gym leader, and the Campion of the Elite Four were in the neighbourhood, felt like stopping by." Wally laughed.

"You're a freak James." He said.

"Did you Teleport here?" Steven asked.

"Um, yea; are you really the Campion?"

"Yup," Steven said, "But you have to have a really strong Pokémon for it to be able to Teleport things without it having to go along too."

"Yea, well," Wally said, "My Pokémons gotten pretty strong."

"Actually," James said, "That's why we're here." He pulled out what he hoped was the right pokeball (he had been meaning to find some way of being able to tell them apart, but hadn't gotten round to it) and enlarged it. Then there was a flash of light, and (thankfully) Kirlia stood there.

"It's been missing your Kirlia a lot." James told Wally.

"Ah." He said, suddenly looking awkward, "That's not good."

"Why not?" Roxanne asked. Wally looked up and spoke to empty air.

"Come here." Suddenly a Pokémon Teleported next to him. A tall, adult Gardevoir stood where once a female Kirlia would have.

"That aint good." James said, as his male Kirlia looked up at his old mate, clearly lost for words. Suddenly another Pokémon appeared beside the first. Gardevoir looked at the Gallade next to it, with a stair that could mean only one thing.

"That aint good at all."

Kirlia looked from Gardevoir to Gallade, then disappeared. It had Teleported away.

"Kirlia!" James yelled out, before turning back to Tropius, "I gotta go look for it."

"James you won't be able to find it," Wally told him, "It'll probably keep teleporting around the place, never stoping. Besides, it knows where to find us, it'll come home."

"Why don't we wait inside," Wanda proposed, "I can make some coffees, and the Pokémon can play in the forests nearby.

"Yea, they'll love it," Wally said, "Mine go there all the time, and they've grown strong doing it."

"What," Roxanne asked, "Do they battle wild Pokémon?"

"What? Of course not," Wally said, quickly, "Come to think of it I don't know what they do."

"When captured Pokémon are let free to play in the wild," Steven spoke up, "They usually play with each other, competing but without any violence. It can be very stimulating, and it helps the Pokémon to develop their skills."

"I guess so." James said, as Roxanne broke open her pokeballs. A Golem and a Nosepass appeared. James also withdrew his pokeballs, and a second later Grovyle, Blaze, Eevee and Manectric stood around him.

"You guys wanna go off and play?" James asked. The group gave a smattering of different cries, before they headed off with Roxanne's Pokémon, toward the trees. Eevee and Manectric however stayed behind.

"You wanna stay here?" James asked. Eevee ran up to him and started to rub itself on his leg, and Manectric slowly sat its rump down on the grass, gingerly, so as to avoid joint pain. As Tropius started to stomp past, James quickly picked up the evolution Pokémon so as to avoid losing it under a giant foot.

"Awe, it's so cute." Wanda said, walking over and reaching out a hand to stroke Eevee, "Can you pat it?"

"Yea, sure," James said, "Do you wanna hold it?"

Twenty minutes or so later, the group had all piled into the living room, and were sitting on couches, drinking coffee. James was on the floor, his arm resting on Manectric's slightly tingly fur, and Eevee was cirled up in Wanda's lap, his eyes closed in bliss while she rubbed the Pokémon's ears. They were just discussing the Campion's Pokémon, and how he preferred to always keep at least one of his fighters on his person (which was why he didn't let Metagross out to play), when an explosion burst from somewhere outside.

"What the heck?" Wanda asked, standing up and causing Eevee to suddenly fall to the floor.

"It's that Gallade." Wally said, looking out of the window.

"That's an odd way to talk about your Pokémon." Roxanne pointed out.

"It's not mine," Wally told her, "It's wild, but it's never been aggressive and my Gardevoir is its mate. Hey, wait… There are two."

"What?" James asked, running to the window Wally was looking out. The second Gallade was walking quickly out of the trees, throwing its arms down and extending its blades.

It was preparing to do battle.

However there was something strange about it. After a second, James had realized what.

"That's Kirlia!" He said, running to the door. Manectric bolted after him, electricity crackling around it, which Eevee jumped over and under in order to follow James.

"Kirlia… Gallade!" James shouted, running outside. The rest of the group had followed. By now the two psychic/fighting types were squaring up, and both had their retractable blades extended.

"Are you sure it's yours?" Roxanne asked.

"It's mine okay?" James told her.

"How did that happen?" Wanda asked the general area. Unsurprisingly, it was Steven who responded.

"It must have found a dawn stone, and exposed itself to the radiation." He said, "I've seen loads of Pokémon evolve from stones, but the problem is that if they haven't learnt all they can in the previous stage, then evolving would mean that they would never be able to learn those skills, and they would always be at a disadvantage."

"Can you please stop talking now?" James asked, "Your not really making me feel better about this." He pulled out Gallade's pokeball "Return!" As the red laser hit the Gallade however, the Pokémon slashed out with its blades, breaking the light from the pokeball and preventing itself from being returned. Then it slashed again, and a huge blade of psychic energy flew off.

"Psycho Cut." Steven breathed.

The wild Gallade jumped out of the way, then sent its own Psycho Cut straight at James' Pokémon, who Teleported out of the way. The wild Gallade jumped forward, its blade shining green.

"That's a Leaf Blade." James said. He recognised it from his Grovyle; it was the wood gecko Pokémon's favourite move. James' Gallade teleported out of the way; as if it knew where its opponent was going to be, the wild Gallade sent a Psycho Cut after it. The attack hit, and James' Gallade went down.

"No!" James yelled. As his Pokémon collapsed. He ran forward. The wild Gallade turned its head, watching him run forward, before it Teleported. James sighed with relief for an instant, before the Pokémon reappeared, close to his Gallade.

"No!" James said again, diving to the ground in front of his broken Gallade, attempting to shield it. The wild Pokémon looked down upon them for a moment, before its blade glowed green again.

It raised its arms.

There was a flash of green.

Grovyle lunged, putting itself in between its trainer and the wild Pokémon, blocking with its own Leaf Blade. The two attacks struggled against each other for a second, before a Mega Kick thrown by Blaze collides with the wild Gallade's head. The Pokémon wobbled backward, before Teleporting away.

And not reappearing.

Grovyle and Blaze both relax, before turning to congratulate each other in their own way. James looks around at his Gallade. It had only been hit once, however it had been a hard hit.

"I'm sorry." James told it. "But I promise. I'll make you strong enough to beat it; then we'll come back." Gallade looked into his eyes, then into his mind and emotions, using its psychic powers. It knew that James was telling the truth.

It nodded.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – The second badge

Once again, the Pokémon Trainers School of Rustboro had gathered in the Colosseum.

Once again, they were sitting in the stands, waiting for a battle to start.

Once again, they were chatting amongst themselves, waiting for the infamous James Millar to battle with one of their own.

This time however, they didn't expect him to win.

"Hello boys and girls!" The announcer said, walking across the arena. "Today, we have the pleasure of watching one heck of a battle, if I am able to make such a bold statement. James Millar, seen by all of us a few days ago, flattening out best trainers, is about to battle our gym leader. Who thinks he'll win?"

There was a sudden cry of boos from around the stands.

"Gee thanks, guys." James said to himself. From his ankle, Eevee looked up at him. As always the Pokémon was oblivious to the current situation, but simply enjoying the excitement.

"Well let's find out!" The announcer said.

"This will be a four-on-four double Pokémon battle." The umpire called out.

"That aint good." James said. He hadn't much experience at double battling, despite the Hoenn region being its birthplace.

"Both trainers will send out ALL of their Pokémon before the battle," The umpire continued, "Before choosing which will participate in the current match. Pokémon may only be swapped when a current Pokémon is deemed unable to battle. Red side, would you please send out your Pokémon?"

"Sure." Roxanne said, in the trainer's box on the other side of the arena. James heard her clearly as she had already attached her headset microphone, which projected her voice over the speakers. Often used in Colosseums, the headsets were a simple way to make sure the Pokémon always herd the trainer's orders. She threw four pokeballs of various types into the air above her, and each snapped open, expelling a Pokémon. Golem, Rampardos, Steelix, Nosepass.

"What the heck is that?" James wondered out loud, as he caught sight of the Rampardos; however no one was about to tell him, so he pushed it out of his mind. Attaching the head set to his ear, he reached for his belt. Only four pokeballs sat there.

"Go!" James said, pulling out two and enlarging them. He pressed the buttons once more, and they opened in his hands, expelling Grovyle and Blaze before him. He placed the balls back on his belt, before sending out his second two Pokémon. Gallade and the bull Tropius took the stage.

The crowd started talking excitedly. Roxanne's Pokémon certainly were impressive. Steelix was nearly ten metres long; Rampardos stood the size of a man, but as armed with huge claws and a heavy skull. James' Pokémon were also impressive. Everyone had seen what Grovyle and Blaze could do, but no one had seen Tropius in battle, and many people had no clue what Gallade even was.

"Send forward your first two Pokémon." The umpire said to both trainers. Roxanne obviously never varied with her starting Pokémon, because Golem and Nosepass walked forward immediately. James looked at the pair of them. They both looked very strong, but James had never seen either battle before. Golems were all pretty much the same and used physical, rolling attacks, but he had little knowledge of Nosepass. Well, he reasoned, Roxanne had saved her two titans for later, so he might as well do the same.

"Blaze, Grovyle, you're up." The Combusken walked forward instantly, and readied itself. Grovyle looked back at James, and excited look on its face, before jumping into the arena and landing on all fours.

"Both trainers ready?" The umpire asked. They both nodded. "Begin!"

"Zap Cannon!" Roxanne yelled, and her Nosepass responded immediately, shooting a ball of electricity at James' Pokémon.

"Jump!" James told them, "Leaf Blade on Golem, Double Kick on Nosepass!" Both his Pokémon launched themselves into the air, dodging the attack, and flew toward their opponents. Grovyle's leafs sharpened.

"Defence Curl. Stone Edge." Roxanne told her fighters. The Leaf Blade attack bounced harmlessly from Golem's hardened body, and Grovyle landed in front of it. Blaze however was hit by a huge collection of rocks that were suddenly thrown at it. The Combusken, distracted, hit the ground hard, and Nosepass blasted it with a Zap Cannon. Blaze was thrown away.

"Rollout!" Roxanne told Golem, who immediately spined in the direction of Combusken, flattening Grovyle in the process.

"Blast it with a Bullet Seed!" James told Grovyle, hoping that it would stop Golem before it reached Blaze, who was on the ground. Grovyle tried, but the attack simply shattered on the rotating back of Golem.

"Mega Kick!" James called desperately, as the rock type reached Combusken. Blaze jumped backward, landing on its hands, and launched a Mega Kick at Golem, which, thank god, threw the Pokémon back. However as soon as it landed it roared forward again, smashing into Combusken and knocking Blaze out.

"Damn. Return." James said, holding out the premier ball and recalling Blaze. At the moment, neither Golem or Nosepass had taken any damage, and a slightly bruised Grovyle was taking refuge on the roof of the Colosseum.

"Tropius, you're up." James said, and the fruit Pokémon walked slowly forward.

"Begin!" The umpire yelled. The announcer was saying something about Tropius being a slow mover, but James wasn't paying attention. Golem was already racing forward.

"Bullet Seed, both of you, on the ground before it!" Both of the grass types launched the attack, sending Golem spinning off course, avoiding Tropius.

"Solar Beam!" James told it, and Tropius began Charging up.

"Zap Cannon!" Roxanne told Nosepass.

"Grovyle, stop it with a Bullet Seed!" James said, and Grovyle Sent a barrage of seeds to meet the electric attack, bursting it into hundreds of sparks and bolts. Tropius turned to where Golem was, already, speeding toward it, and send the charged Solar Beam straight into it, blasting it away and knocking it out.

"Golem is unable to battle." The umpire called. Now both sides had lost a Pokémon.

"Steelix, you're up." Roxanne told it, "let out a Sandstorm so they can't use Solar Beam again!" Steelix roared its approval, and its segments started to spin. Suddenly psychic shields burst upward around the arena, protecting the trainers and the spectators from the sand. James couldn't see a thing, and he was sure that neither of his Pokémon could either. Roxanne's Pokémon however, were suited to this environment.

"Zap Cannon!" Roxanne called. Suddenly James heard Grovyle cry out, and it landed close to the barrier. He could see it.

"Grovyle, stay where I can see you." James said, "Tropius, fly upward!" He had no way of knowing for certain, but as it was inside, the Sandstorm was only working while Steelix was performing the attack, and it couldn't possibly be covering the _entire_ field. Sure enough, after a few seconds James saw Tropius clear the top of the Sandstorm.

"Can you see Nosepass?" James asked it. The fruit Pokémon let out a cry and flew around in a circle. Taking that for a yes, James called out "Dive and use Leaf Blade!" And his Pokémon flew downward. A second later the sand had stopped. Steelix was looking down at an unconscious Nosepass, and Tropius was shaking dirt from its wings.

"Yea!" James said in triumph. The shields were lowered, and suddenly sand was flowing over his feet, but James didn't care. He wanted to run out and hug Tropius' long neck, but the umpire had already declared Nosepass unfit for battle, and Rampardos was stepping forward to take its place.

"Begin!"

"Leaf Blade on it!" James said to Grovyle, who was starting to look utterly exhausted by now. Nether the less it ran forward, its leaves sharpening into swords.

"Head Smash." Roxanne told Rampardos, as calmly as ever. The head butt Pokémon scrapped its foot across the ground, before charging straight at Grovyle, who didn't falter for a second. James however, had instant doubts.

"Dodge it!" Grovyle leapt to the side at the last moment, but it wasn't enough, and Rampardos followed through. It swung its head to the side and hit Grovyle hard, sending it flying to the edge of the arena. It didn't stir.

James ran from the box, while the umpire was busy telling everyone about how Grovyle was unable to battle. _Well duh_.

"Are you all right?" James asked it. It opened an eye and smiled, before slowly raising one of its arms. James looked at it for a second, before realizing what it was doing. He laughed and clapped its hand to Grovyle's in a high five. The grass type smiled, before falling unconscious. Reassured that Grovyle was going to be okay, James returned it to the pokeball marked with the leaf, and went to stand back in the trainer's box.

"You're up, Gallade." James said to the blade Pokémon. Gallade, who had been meditating, opened one eye, before it teleported. It reappeared in a ready position, standing next to Tropius, ready to fight Steelix and Rampardos.

"BEGIN!"

"Head Smash!"

"Protect!" Gallade raised an arm, and a dome shield materialized around the two Pokémon. Rampardos ran forward and started to smash its head against it. Even from where he stood, James could see Gallade starting to falter.

"Charge up a Solar Beam!" James said. He had no idea whether it was even possible to do that under a Protect, but neither the less it achieved the desired effect. Rampardos ran. Next Steelix came in, and on Roxanne's orders let loose a Dragon Breath.

"Psyco Cut!" James said, knowing that the Protect would fail as soon as Gallade launched a new attack. The blade Pokémon swung its arm, and a psychic attack was launched. It cut straight through Steelix's Dragon Breath, smashing the Pokémon in the face. However against a steel type, the attach would have done little.

Gallade was only a psychic type.

"Close Combat!" James called, and Gallade jumped after Steelix, and began to pummel the iron snake.

"Head Smash!" Roxanne called to Rampardos. It started to run forward. However, everyone seemed to have forgotten that Tropius was still absorbing sunlight.

"Solar Beam!" James said, and the fruit Pokémon let loose, blasting a beam of solar energy at the iron head Pokémon.

Both attacks were supper effective.

Both attacks dealt knockout blows.

"Where are we going?" James asked, as Roxanne walked him through the streets of Rustboro. The battle had ended some time ago. She had presented him with the Stone Badge, which was now hidden away in his wallet. Once he arrived home, it would join the Heat Badge in the small box on James' desk. None of James or Roxanne's Pokémon from the battle had been seriously hurt, which was good, and they had all been left at the Pokémon Centre, with the promise that they would all be ready for action the following day.

"The Devon Corporation, of course." She told him.

"Why?"

"So you can say goodbye to Steven, and so we can test out the third big machine."

"Which is?"

"The Pokémon Dream Projector." Roxanne said, "I wanna test it out on your Eevee, see what it thinks about."

"Don't think it thinks about much of anything really." James said, looking down at the Evolution Pokémon at his ankle.

"So what are you going to do now, collect the other badges?" Roxanne asked, as they walked through Devon.

"Yea, I might go home for a few days first." James told her.

"Which badge are you going to try for next?" She asked.

"No idea, what do you think I should go for?"

"What about the Petalburg City. Norman's gym is there."

"Okay, I'll go to Petalburg." James said, as they passed a machine that was sitting on a table against the wall. Roxanne stopped in front of it. James, confused, said: "why you stopping? Isn't it on the next floor up?"

"What? Oh, yea, this is a trading machine." Roxanne told him.

"So why have we stopped here?" James asked again.

"While we were battling, I saw that you obviously didn't know much about Rampardos." Roxanne said. "I was wondering, you know, whether you wanted to trade it for something. Cause, like, if you don't that's ok, and it doesn't have to be permanent." She turned to him, "But this way, you'll always have to remember me if you like it or not, and you'll have to come back, and share all your stories. It'll just mean that we'll always be friends."

"What Pokémon do you want?" James asked, nervously. He didn't really like the idea.

"You said your parents own a Tropius farm didn't ya?" she asked. James nodded. "Why don't you get them to send you one of those Tropius, and I'll trade you for that?"

"Okay, sure." James said.

A little while later, Roxanne was the owner of a Tropius, and James a Rampardos. James couldn't stop looking at the pokeball which held his latest Pokémon, and his first rock type, until they reached the Pokémon Dream Projector.

"All right, we're here." Roxanne said.

"Wonder what he'll dream about." James said.

"Put the Pokémon in this chamber here." The staff member said, meaning a glass chamber. James placed his Pokémon inside. Eevee, far from being afraid, looked puzzled, but as happy, as though this was a game. A few seconds later Sleep Powder was falling into the chamber. Eevee lay down and curled up.

"You should be seeing it now." The staff member said, looking at the screen. James and Roxanne looked up too. It was black for a few moments, before it suddenly flashed into colour. They were seeing through the eyes of Eevee.

"It's a memory." Roxanne whispered. Everything in the memory was white, and after a few seconds James realized it was because Eevee was standing on some sort of white blanket which took up all of its extremely short vision. Eevee walked forward, stumbling slightly.

"You know what?" Roxanne said, "I bet this was from when it was born. Oh my god…" Something black had wandered in front of Eevee, stopping in front of it. Then they were being picked up and turned around. The black thing was walking them somewhere. Then they were put down near some soft purple fur. Eevee looked up into the eyes of…

"It's mother." Roxanne said, "That Espeon must be its mother, and that Umbreon must be its dad." She turned to James. "How did you get Eevee?"

"Won it in a competition." James said, "It was really young then."

"So it might not even remember its parents, only in its dreams." James, looking up at the screen, realized something that made him sigh. He would have to side-track again.

"Looks like I'm going back to Feaffle Town."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 – side quests

As James walked into the Pokémon Centre, the nurse greeted him with the usual line.

"Welcome to the Feaffle Town Pokémon Centre, how may I help you?"

"Hey," He said, walking up to the counter, "My names James Millar, I won the Cup this year, remember?"

"Oh yes," The nurse said, brightly as ever, "You won the Eevee didn't you? How is it?"

"Fine, its fine." James said, looking down at it. Eevee was sitting calmly on the cold floor of the Centre. "But I was wondering, who owned Eevee before I won it?"

"You cannot give prizes back," The nurse said, "You may however release them or trade them away if you are unhappy-"

"No, I love Eevee," James said quickly, "But I'm curious about its parents."

"Well, I'm not sure whether he'll still own them, but I can give you the address of the person who supplied the Eevee." The nurse told him.

"That'll be great, thanks."

"Do you need directions?" The nurse asked, after she had written down the address and handed it to him.

"Na, this'll be fine." James said, pulling out a pokeball. He pressed the button twice, first to enlarge it, secondly to bring out his Gallade.

"Is that your old Kirlia?" The nurse asked, "My, it certainly has grown up, hasn't it."

"Guess you can say that." James smiled, as Gallade bowed to the nurse. "Gallade, can you take me here?" The Pokémon looked down at the paper blankly, then up at James. "Right, cant read." James said, "Do you have a picture of the house, by any chance?" The nurse shook her head, "All right, Google Earth?"

Suddenly they had arrived on a relatively quiet street.

"Good job Gallade." James said, spotting a street sign, as well as a letter box, that confirmed they had reached the right address. "Just hang around somewhere," He told the blade Pokémon, "I'll call if I need you." Gallade nodded, and teleported away. James walked up the path to a door which matched the number given to him by the nurse. When he reached it he rang the doorbell. "This is it." He said to Eevee, who was standing, as always, at his ankle. After a few seconds the door opened.

"Hi." James said.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" The man asked. James raised his eyebrows. That wasn't quite the reaction he was expecting.

"I'm James Millar, I won the Cup-"

"I know who you are, course I know who you are. James Milan."

"Millar." James said. For some reason, he was getting the feeling of de ja vue.

"Course, you don't recognise me, do ya?" The man asked, before sighing. "That's the problem with being a commentator, no one ever sees your face. Scott Johnston, I was the commentator for your matches in the Cup."

"Not you again." James groaned. Scott Johnston. Now he remembered. His first ever tournament, and somehow he had made enemies with the commentator. During his matches, Johnston had constantly been saying about how bad his mistakes were, how he was doomed to fail. Since then he had forgotten about the man, but now the memories came flooding back.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"Eevee's parents." James said, "The Espeon and the Umbreon. You still have em?"

"You want _both_ of them?" He asked, bewildered. "Cause I still have em, there bloody good fighters. Trained them myself. Taught Espeon how to use Mirror Move. You know how long that took? Bloody weeks."

"I'll trade for them." James told him.

"What you got? And it had better be good."

"Tropius?" James asked. Scott thought about it.

"I'll take _one_ Tropius for _one_ of them, if you want both, then your out of luck."

"But I don't have anything else to trade!" James said.

"Sorry." Scott smiled, closing the door.

"Gallade, open it." James called out. The psychic Pokémon didn't appear, but there was a flash of light and the door swung open again, unlocking itself in the process.

"How you do that? That's breaking and entering that is." Scott said, walking back to the door.

"Breaking, not entering." James said, "What do you want for the other one?" Scott thought for a moment, before smiling again.

"A Poliwrath. From Fiore. There a darker blue there."

"A what?" James asked.

"Poliwrath, from Fiore." Scott repeated, "That's the only thing I'll take, so I suggest you better get over to Fiore if you wanna get your hands on my Pokémon." And with that, Scott shut the door again. James considered making Gallade open it again, just to annoy him, but thought better of it.

"Come on Gallade, let's go back to Fortree." James said.

"And so he said that he'll only trade his Eevee's parents for a Tropius _and _a Poliwrath from Fiore." James said.

"So what are you going to do?" His mother asked, over her cup of coffee.

"Well, I _was_ about to head off, but then you stopped me and made me tell you all this." James said, irritably.

"Are you going to make Gallade Teleport you all the way to Fiore?" His mother asked.

"Yep." James said.

"Hm." His mother stood up and went to the phone on the wall. She picked up and started to go through the phonebook stored in its memory.

"Who are you calling?" James asked her, however he was ignored. After his mother had found the correct number, she pressed dial and held the phone to her ear. A minute later: "Hi, Its Christine Millar, how are you? Really? Hey, I've got a favour to ask, it's about my son. He needs to get to Fiore, and was going to Teleport there- No, I didn't think it was a good idea either." James rolled his eyes. Suddenly his mother held out the phone. James took it nervously.

"Hello?"

"James, why the heck did you even _think_ it was possible to Teleport that far?"

"Lyra?" James asked, taking a wild stab in the dark.

"yea, it's me," She said, "And no, in case you were wondering, it's not possible-" James took the phone from his ear and covered the mouth piece. "Why do you have Lyra's number?" He asked, "I don't even have Lyra's number."

"Lyra, shut up for a minute," James said. He wasn't the novice any more. "I need to get to Fiore, and if you can't Teleport there, I'm going to have to fly."

"Not on your Tropius you aren't." She told him.

"How do you know I have a Tropius?"

"You ever heard of the internet, James? Anyway, I hope you haven't released it, cause if you have it'll mean you're a complete bozo."

"Released what?"

"And you'll need to take only a few Pokémon, but all of them have to be strong. They don't like trainers in Fiore, but there is also dangers. I'll would recommend your Dusclops; and Gallade because it would be able to Teleport you while your over there; and that Rampardos you just picked up would probably come in handy too- On second thought, how about you just pick me up."

"From where- What?" James asked.

"James, I'm in Sootopolis City, come and pick me up, then we'll fly to Fiore. How long do ya recon it'll take you to get here? An hour or so? I'll be in the Pokémon Centre. Anyway, in the meantime, you think carefully about the Pokémon you're going to bring. Less is better."

"What are you talking about?" James asked, slightly annoyed, "What Pokémon do you want me to fly on? Tropius wont make it all the way to Fiore."

"Latios, duh." Lyra told him.

"Oh." James said.

Lyra was right. Soon, despite the fact that James had no way of contacting it, Latios had appeared on the farm. He had been out on the hill, watching the herd of Tropius, when a shadow moved across the grass, as if belonging to a cloud. Then the Eon Pokémon turned and flew down toward him. As it landed near the edge of a small pool, James' Carvanha surfaced, bearing its teeth. James ran up it, while Manectric and Eevee watched from the porch, and Rampardos gave chase, seeing it as some sort of game. As James stopped at the Eon Pokémon, Rampardos kept running, past Gallade, who was meditating, until it reached Grovyle and Blaze. The pair had been sparing, and they now both jumped up upon the giant rock Pokémon, in a sort of mock battle. Rampardos yelled loudly, before smashing itself against the ground, attempting to dislodge the Pokémon. James looked around fondly at his many Pokémon. The only one missing was Dusclops, which was safely stored in its dusk ball on his belt. He had also planned to bring Rampardos – he hadn't had any opportunities to battle with it yet, or even train it much, and a trip to Fiore would be a good bonding session – but he hadn't wanted to end its fun until he had to.

"Can you fly me and Lyra – you remember Lyra – to Fiore?" James asked Latios, addressing it as though it had the same intelligence as a person. Latios didn't make any movements to represent a 'yes' or even that it understood, but James somehow knew that it meant it could.

"Let's get going then." James said. "Rampardos, get over here." The rock head Pokémon looked up for a moment, before running obediently back to its new trainer. "Good." James said, laying a hand on it. However, as their play friend left them, Grovyle and Blaze realized that James was preparing to leave, and the two of them bounded forward to join him. As they both stopped before him, James felt a sudden sadness fill him. He had decided to leave them behind on this brief journey, and only take Latios, Dusclops, Gallade and Rampardos. On second thoughts though, he didn't really need Gallade. Fiore was a small country, and Latios was a fast flyer.

He had planned on leaving Grovyle and Blaze behind. They were probably his best Pokémon, and he thought they deserved a rest. Dusclops on the other hand was barely ever used, and Rampardos was his newest edition.

"Hey," James said, suddenly landing an idea, "Why don't you two practise with Gallade while I'm gone?" At this, Gallade – a good twenty metres away – opened its eyes instantly. James laughed again as his two second stage Pokémon ran for Gallade, and he pulled out Rampardos' ball. Enlarging it, he pressed the button again and brought the rock type back. He had already climbed onto Latios' back, and the Eon Pokémon had taken flight, before he had heard a cry from below. Circling around and returning, James realized it was Eevee, its tiny, reduced pokeball in its mouth. Latios flew down and landed on the grass beside it, and Eevee jumped up.

"You coming too?" James asked it. Eevee nodded, and buried itself in James' coat. He might be able to turn down Grovyle, his first Pokémon, but Eevee was too cute to disappoint.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: a different way of doing things

It didn't take long. Even if it did, the time seemed to have gone off somewhere. As they flew, beneath them the ground and the environment changed. First there was ocean, before, eventually, islands started to appear. Then the ground rose up beneath them, turning into mountains covered in snowy forests, before dying away again. Temporarily. A few minutes later they were back, though this time without snow. By the time they had disappeared once more, the beach had come into sight, at the end of a long land of forests.

"This if Fiore." Lyra told him, over the roar of the wind.

"What was that back there?"

"Sinnoh." Lyra told him.

They flew on in silence for a while longer, before Lyra yelled at him that here was a good spot to stop.

"What? Here? All the trees are burnt."

"Who cares, but it's a while away from the town, so it's a good place to hang." Latios flew down, coming to a stop amongst the trees, which were burnt to twigs, the ground covered with ash and burnt foliage.

"Why aren't we going to the town?" James asked, as they got off the Eon Pokémon.

"They don't train Pokémon in this region." Lyra told him, "And they don't have a great liking for Pokémon trainers who come here. Best to avoid them. And the rangers."

James laughed. He knew about rangers: twits who thought that capturing Pokémon was a bad thing to do, and thought that temporarily capturing them with a stylus – some tool which made Pokémon follow you around for a while if you pointed a laser at it.

"What was that?" Lyra asked, stopping still. Suddenly there was a roar, and through the still green trees at the edge of the burnt area burst a Pokémon, which flew low over the forest toward them.

"A CHARIZARD!" Lyra screamed in delight.

"What's a Charizard doing here?" James yelled as the flame Pokémon swooped over them.

"No trainers, no one to capture it." Lyra said, pulling out a pokeball. "Go, Infernape!" She threw the ball into the air, and a second later a flash of red light expelled a second flame Pokémon. "Flamethrower!" The Infernape leapt up one of the nearby trees, before the flame on its head flowed more brightly, and it spurted fire at the Charizard. The wild Pokémon dodged easily, before turning and flying straight at Infernape again. Its wings started to glow. A Steel Wing.

"Quilava!" Lyra yelled, throwing out her second Pokémon, "Flame Wheel!" The volcano Pokémon leapt up the trees to join its partner, before suddenly spinning into a Flame Wheel and jumping toward Charizard. James didn't get to see whether the attack connected, because at that moment another roar sounded from behind them. He turned around, and there stood yet another fire type. A Typhlosion.

"That aint good." James said as, at his ankle, Eevee ran back to Latios. "Hate to break the trend." James said, pulling out a pokeball and throwing it. Rampardos appeared in front of him. "Head Smash!" Rampardos roared, scrapped the ground, before lowering its head and charging. Typhlosion roared at the challenge, before jumping into a Flame Wheel and charging forward. The two Pokémon hit each other at full speed.

Rampardos flicked its head.

Typhlosion went flying.

As the volcano Pokémon pulled itself to all fours, then shot a Flamethrower at the head butt Pokémon.

"Zen Headbutt!" James called out, and his Pokémon roared again, its skull starting to pulse blue, before running into the fire. Once again, the brutally strong rock type took almost damage from Typhlosion's attack, and its head connected with the volcano pokémon.

"Don't just fight it off," Lyra yelled, from where she had almost beaten down the Charizard, "Capture it!"

"Right." James said, pulling out a Poke Ball from his pocket. Then he changed his mind, replacing it with a Timer Ball. It was his only one, a gift from his dad. Timer Balls worked better, as its name suggested, on older Pokémon, and Pokémon that are evolved. It gave him his best chance of capturing the fully evolved fire type.

"Go!" James said, throwing the enlarged ball. He watched it spin through the air, toward the Pokémon, when a blue something shot from one of the dead trees. There was a flash of electricity, and the ball fell to the ground.

"What?" James asked, as the blue thing – probably a pokémon – ran across the ground, toward Lyra. "Look out!" He shouted in warning, however it only distracted her. As it ran past the female trainer, the pokémon let out a burst of electricity, distracting her, and then let loose a continual blue stream at her two pokémon. It was using Thunder Wave. James turned back to the Typhlosion.

"Don't even think about it." Said the voice of a man, no more then twenty, who stepped out from behind a tree. He was wearing ranger's uniform. Carrying a styler. He shot the laser at the wild pokémon, who immediately calmed down, then turned to leave. The blue pokémon, who turned out to be a Minum, jumped onto his shoulder, and started to spark, threateningly.

"Recall your pokémon, both of you." Said a female ranger, coming forward, holding a Plusle.

"Right," Lyra laughed, "Cause your both so threatening." There was a thump behind them. A Dragonite had landed.

"That threatening enough?"

"What the hell were you two doing out there?" One of the rangers asked them. James really couldn't believe that they were in a cell, in the ranger HQ.

"We're trainers," Lyra told them, "What the hell do you think we were doing? Why you lock us up? Its not illegal to capture pokémon in Fiore."

"Yea," Said the ranger, whose badge read 'Spencer', "But it is illegal to poach wherever you're from."

"So you just arrest whatever trainers you see, just to check if there poachers?" James asked.

"We've been having a bit of a hard time lately," Spencer told him, "So cut us some slack."

"Trouble with who? Team Aqua?" James asked. The Ranger's eyebrows creased in confusion for a moment, before coming to realization.

"Oh god no," Spencer said, "They haven't been around here since before Team Magma was taken care of, being careful these days. But from that I take it your both from Hoenn?" They nodded. "Then I guess you cant be involved in the Go-Rock Squad."

"The what?" James asked.

"The Go-Rock Squad." He told James, "There the group who've been doing the poaching, though I think they're doing it for someone higher up."

"Ah," James said, "They sound like a group of try-hard chess players." James smiled.

The phone rang. Out of their cells, James and Lyra watched as Spencer picked it up.

"Damn, that aint good." He said, hanging up. He turned to them. "Do you two recon you could help us out? We have a bit of a situation."

"After you locked us up?" Lyra asked, "Fat chance."

"Oh shut up." James told her, "What do ya need?"

"The Go-Rock Squad have been spotted in the forests near Fall City. Now the rangers there are preparing themselves, and the rangers here are looking for flying pokémon to capture, but you two have that Latios, it would take you much less time then it would us."

"How you know about Latios?" James asked. The ranger shrugged.

"It's the reason we found you in the first place. Where is it?"

"Circling around, James said, walking out, "Though, I should probably tell you, that if you weren't going to release us, it would probably have blasted its way in."

As James walked out of the compound, the eon pokémon flew down to meet him. Knowing, as always, what was happening, it readied itself for James to get on. After he had made himself comfortable, and without waiting for Lyra, the pokémon jumped into the air.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Lyra yelled.

"It probably thinks that with two people on its back it aint as manoeuvrable." James said, surprised at how the first thing that popped into his head had sounded so intelligent. It was probably right though.

"James here, take this!" Spencer said, throwing a styler to him. "I know you like capturing pokémon, but you might be able to use it to get them to move quickly, and I can contact you on it."

"Cool." James said, sliding the styler onto his arm. Next to him, Spencer's Fearow jumped into the air, flapping hard to rise higher. Latios looked after them for a moment, before suddenly zooming past them.

The Fearow was a long way behind them, however Fiore was small, and they simply headed toward the collection of lights. Fall City. Eventually, an ominous shape drifted out of the gloom. It was a helicopter. A huge helicopter. A flying base. It was cruising slowly over the forest, floodlights shining below it. The wind and the noise made by the propellers was driving flying pokémon from their nests. They took to the air, and were immediately caught up by some sort of Poke Balls, which were being dropped by people standing in the huge hangar bay of the ship. The balls, which were not thrown with any accuracy, were caught up in some sort of psychic attack, which caused them to shoot for a pokémon. Those on the ground weren't having any luck either. Through the light from the ship, James could see various species running for their lives, being chased by vehicles, and people armed with more of the strange balls.

James and Latios dived, shooting toward a flock of Taillow, which were flying upward, unaware of the danger. The eon pokémon shot through them, sending the flock in all directions, and the balls dived after them.

"LUSTER PURGE!" James yelled over the roar of the wind, and the eon pokémon suddenly burst with light, causing every one of the balls to break into pieces.

"James," Spencer called from the styler, "Don't attack the chopper, we need to follow it to find out where the Go-Rock base is."

"What do you want me to do then?" James yelled, as he clung to Latios for dear life.

"There retreating, get one of those balls!"

"Latios, drop me off!" James told it, and the eon pokémon flew round and shrugged its trainer off inside the helicopter bay. Immediately two men rounded on him. Before James could even reach for a Poke Ball, there was a flash of dark light. The two men stopped, confused but seeing no pokémon. However before they could walk any further forward, Dusclops appeared behind them, and blasted them with a Blizzard. The two men went down.

"Get one of the balls!" James said, as the helicopter gave a huge rock to one side. Perhaps it was because it was a ghost, but Dusclops seemed to be able to walk around as though the ship was perfectly stationary, and retrieved one of the strange balls, which were made from concrete, and were consequently heavy.

"Return." James said, without taking out the Dusk Ball. Nether the less his ghost type sent itself back into the ball with a burst of dark light.

"Hey!" Another man said, walking forward.

"Time to go." James said, hoping very much that Latios was somewhere near, as he stepped off the edge and fell away into the darkness.

He hadn't been falling for even a few seconds before the trees were roaring up to meet him, and suddenly Latios had swooped down and under James, and the pair of them were gliding away, the concrete Poke Ball clutched tightly in James' hand.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 – the jungle ruins

"Here you go, professor." Spencer said, dropping the Cement Ball – as it had been dubbed – onto Professor Hastings desk.

"Yes, I can look at this later," Hastings said, waving the ball away and turning to James, "Right, did I yet again hear falsely, or do you indeed have a Latios? A _real_ Latios?"

"Uh…Yea?" James said.

"Show it to me!" Hastings said. James looked nervously around at Spencer.

"You have a legendary pokémon, James," The ranger said, "Surely you must be used to people acting slightly… strange, around it."

"Actually I don't keep it with me." James told him, "And how come you didn't start drooling over it?"

"There was a mission to go on." Spencer yawned. It was nearly three in the morning, and the group – James, Spencer, Hastings and Fall City rangers Aria and Keith – were standing around in the ranger base in Fall City.

"Message from Summerland, Spencer." The receptionist called out.

"And there's another mission to go on." The ranger said, walking out.

"Now," Hastings said, "Do you mind showing us your Latios?"

"If you really wanna see it I guess." James said, "Come on." He lead the group outside. Hastings was the only one who seemed excited; Keith seemed interested, but Aria looked bored.

"Oi, Latios, where are you?" James called out, when they had gone outside. The morning air was cold – something James wasn't very used to, living in Hoenn. Suddenly the eon pokémon shimmered into existence before them. Shaking off its fur.

"Lovely." Hastings whispered, walking closer and starting to stroke it. Latios looked up at James, with a face that told his trainer it was putting up with the treatment – but only just.

"Don't see what's so special about it." Aria said.

"Eon pokémon," Hastings said, before James could speak, "Can fly faster then jets, they can turn invisible, they can understand any human language, they can communicate by projecting their thoughts into people's minds." As if to confirm this, James was suddenly blinded by a flash of light, which cleared to show two people – who he recognised as Aria and himself – standing outside his house.

Standing very close.

Suddenly there was another flash, and James was back in Fiore. None of the others looked as though they had experienced anything. James glared at the eon pokémon. Latios shook its fur in a satisfied way.

"Some people even think they can see the future." Hastings continued.

"Well that could be handy right about now." Spencer said, speaking up from behind them. "Aria, I've got a mission for you, in Summerland."

"What do I have to do?" She asked.

"Go to the jungle ruins," Spencer said, "We think there might be a Go-Rock Base there. By the way James, didn't you say you came to Fiore looking for a Poliwrath?"

"Yea,"

"Well there are Poliwrath in the jungle around Summerland. Off you go." Spencer said, grinning.

An hour or so after the sun had fully risen, the trainer and the ranger were walking through the lush Olive Jungle. It wasn't very swampy however, and the ground was hard enough underfoot. The trees were a few metres apart, and there was obvious tracks hinting regular human use. The two of them walked along this. Eventually, this track took them to the river, and they walked along the bank. Ahead of them, they could just see the top of the ruins, poking out through the trees.

"So why do you need a Poliwrath?" Aria asked.

"You know that Eevee I have?" James asked. Eevee was not with them, having been left with Lyra at Fall City. "Well this dude owns its parents, and the only way I'm going to get them is if I trade them for a Tropius – which I have – and a Poliwrath. And he said it had to be from Fiore." Aria said nothing to this, and they continued on in silence. That is, until James broke it.

"Why don't you have a partner, the other rangers do."

"Guess I've never found the right pokémon." Aria told him.

"Ya see, that's what's good about being a trainer," James said, "You can capture all different types."

"I don't want to have different types," Aria said, bitterly, "I just want one type, but that one type isn't in Fiore."

"Why don't you travel then?" James asked her. Aria never answered however, because at that moment James spotted a pokémon sitting at the other side of the bank. Something about it caught his eye.

"What sort of pokémon is that?" James asked.

"What?" Aria said, "Oh, that's a Politoed. Not a Poliwrath."

"Damn." James said, looking sadly at the pokémon, who had noticed them by now and was standing up and peering at them. "Actually," James thought aloud, "I could use a water type; Carvanha isn't much of a battler unless there's a lot of water around… I'm capturing it!" James decided, pulling out a Poke Ball. "It looks pretty docile, I might be able to get it without battling." He threw the ball across the river, but before it had gone half way, the Politoed jumped out to meet it, span around, and kicked it down, into the river. It then jumped back onto the bank, and started to laugh, clapping its hands.

"Good job." Aria said, sarcastically.

"Shut up." James told her, pulling out his Dusk Ball. Suddenly the frog pokémon opened its mouth and a huge blast of noise erupted from it.

"ARGH," Aria yelled, "Its using Hyper Voice, shut it up!"

"What?" James yelled back. He could see her mouth moving, but all sound was gone, "I cant hear you, its using some sort of attack, I'll shut it up! Go Dusclops! Shadow Punch." With a burst of dark light, Dusclops appeared. It ran across the water as though it were made of glass, its fist encased in darkness; completely unaffected by the normal type attack. There was a silent punch, and Politoed was knocked away. The noise stopped immediately, and both humans fell to their knees, their ears ringing.

Politoed, wearing a smile that suggested it was having fun, jumped back onto a tree, then straight at Dusclops. A Bounce attack. However the move was also normal, and the frog pokémon went straight through beckon pokémon. Politoed turned around and shot a Bubblebeam at Dusclops.

"Blizzard!" James said, getting up while Aria was still kneeling. His pokémon summoned a gale and shot it toward its opponent, freezing the bubbles, causing them to fall to earth. James reached into his backpack, digging around inside it, while Dusclops deflected another Hyper Voice with a Shadow Ball.

"Gotcha." James said, withdrawing a Net Ball. His only one. "Try to get out of this!" James said, throwing it. Politoed shot a ball of water at it, which burst on impact. A Water Pulse. The Net Ball was knocked away, falling into the river.

"No!" James said, diving into the water after it. Dusclops turned toward the water and shot a Blizzard at it, freezing a dam upstream from James. Thanks to the sudden absence of water, James spotted the Net Ball and dived for it, getting thoroughly covered in mud in the process. Grabbing it, James turned toward Politoed. If he simply threw the ball the same thing would happen.

"Shadow Ball!" James told Dusclops, who shot a ball of darkness at the frog pokémon. Politoed jumped out of the way, and James threw the ball. Distracted, the wild pokémon was hit by the ball and brought into it with a burst of green light. The Net Ball fell to the ground, where it rocked for a moment, before becoming still.

"Oh yeah!" James said, climbing on all fours out of the muddy riverbed. The ice dam was starting to overflow, and he thought it was better to get out now while he could. He ran over to where Dusclops stood next to the Net Ball, picked it up and threw it into the air with delight. He was utterly covered in mud, and nearly slipped over, so turned to the river again. Heading over to a quieter patch, he waded in, fully clothed – he was wet as well as muddy, it would make no difference. Once the mud had come off, he stepped out, dripping but warm due to the hot humidity of the jungle.

"Done?" Aria asked.

"Come on out, Politoed!" James said, throwing the Net Ball lightly into the air. There was a green flash, and the frog pokémon burst onto the scene.

"Hey Politoed, I'm James, your new trainer." He told the pokémon, who looked up at him for a moment, before jumping at his head, then jumping off of it. The force made James fall over again, which caused a large amount of dirt and leaves to stick to his wet back. Looking over at Aria, James noticed that the ranger was laughing – though not in a teasing sort of way. Politoed jumped back to its trainer, smiling, and poked him in the stomach. James had a feeling that he was going to like training it.

"Okay, lets go."

"Those are the ruins."

"I can see that." James said. They were standing part way up the mountain side, and at the edge of the remains of some sort of old stone building. They walked inside. There was no roof or walls, but the ground was made of stone blocks and there were stone pillars in regular places.

"Look at that." Aria said, walking over to one of the pillars and bending down. She straightened up holding one of the cement balls – a very old one that was chipped.

"What's that over there?" James asked, not expecting an answer, walking away, into the ruins. Politoed, who James had not bothered returning to its ball, followed.

"What?" Aria asked, following him, and then stopping dead. Through the trees, down a little from the ruins, were the remains of a much newer building. One of the walls had fallen down. The two of them walked down toward it. Stepping carefully into the building, they realized that it was a lab.

"This is Go-Rock all right," Aria said, "But it looks like they're long gone." James was looking toward one corner of the building, which looked like it once held a cage. Scortch marks on the walls and floors made it look as though a fire pokémon had been shooting attacks from the inside of it, and it made a pattern on the walls to show the bars. The next room, which James poked his head into, also had a spot where a cage must have stood, and even from there he could see a third room.

This one had a cage

James walked through to that room and looked up at the cage. It was empty, though on its roof was an embossed label.

Beast 3: Suicune

"You don't think…" Aria said slowly, standing beside him, "That those other cages were… They could have escaped."

"They haven't." James said, "The cages would still be here."

"What about Suicune?" Aria asked.

"How many times have you seen that copper before?"

"Oh god," Aria said, realizing it, "That made three. We let them capture Suicune. They didn't put them in the cage, they must have taken it somewhere else."

"Those Cement Balls," James realized, "They must be strong enough to capture legendary pokémon."

"We have to get them back."

"We will."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – The collector

"All right, I'm ready." Aria said, walking up to James and sliding the styler into its case. She had just gotten off the phone to Spencer. Technically, she needed permission to go after whoever had taken the legendary beasts, not that Spencer would have cared. James however, also couldn't leave straight away, due to the absence of Latios. While the ranger was on the phone, the eon pokémon had arrived however, and James had since been attempting to make himself as ready as possible. Scanning a laptop which James had found and Aria had booted up using help from a captured Pikachu. On it, along with piles of information which could be of some possible use by the rangers, they had found the location of the Go-Rock Squad base - Somewhere on the Sekra mountains. Luckily, Latios had appeared from no where as always.

"Cool." James said, climbing onto Latios. Aria looked slightly nervous.

"Where do I sit?" She asked.

"Behind me?" James said.

"It isn't that big." Aria pointed out. James was starting to get the feeling that tough-as-nails Aria was afraid of Latios.

"It's a legendary pokémon," James told her, "It can carry us, and it's a psychic type, it can use its mind to hold us. There's nothing to be scared about."

"Who said I was scared?" Aria burst out, confirming it. James smiled, while Aria blushed and clambered on. The instant she was sitting right, Latios burst into the sky, and Aria gave a yelp and tightened her hands around James' waist. James smiled – he loved riding flying types with girls.

Within a few minutes they were flying high above the mountains, and snow was falling around them. James, who had never before seen snow in the flesh, found it a strange experience, and a cold one. They were both shivering in moments, and visibility was reduced dramatically. Latios however seemed to know where they were going, because they suddenly dived and headed toward the mountain.

"Sir?"

Samuel turned around. His assistant – a woman chosen more for her beauty then her skill – was standing at the door.

"What is it?"

"The sensors have detected, um, a Latios, sir. Two people appear to be riding it."

"A Latios? My luck just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" He addressed the creature in front of him. A massive Raikou was lying before him, in the centre of a circle on the floor. It was being held there against its will; not by bars or psychic energy, but a simple invention that prevents electric type pokémon from moving, and is powered by the pokémon's own electricity. The other two dogs were in a separate room, however Samuel was keeping Raikou in this main operating room due to the absence of a bared cage, and the fact that Raikou was Samuel's favourite. The thunder cloud on its back rolled angrily as Samuel watched it.

"You know, I sincerely hope that you retain your nature after the operation." Samuel told the pokémon, "It would be a shame to loose that feisty attitude of yours. How is that going with the others, by the way?"

"Entei has nearly been completed." His assistant told him.

"Good." Samuel said. Suicune would be next, then when Raikou had been operated on, they would be ready to fight under him. But for now, a different pokémon would have to do.

He turned away from the electric beast and walked to the control panel.

"Bring up the list of pokémon under my control." He told his assistant. Suddenly a heads up display burst onto the window, and silhouettes of various pokémon were projected up.

"What to choose, what to choose?" He said, looking down the list. He was a collector of pokémon, and a good one, so the number was extensive indeed. It had recently gotten a boost also, due to him not only paying for the beasts, but also the pokémon the Go-Rock Squad captured which he did not have.

"Pidgeot." Samuel said, and his assistant started typing away. "And clear away this snow."

"Yes, sir." His assistant said.

Samuel smiled, as Latios appeared on the monitor.

Outside, James and Aria were startled, and somewhat relieved, when the snow stopped falling.

"What?" Aria asked the sky, "What the heck happened?"

"The snow stopped." James pointed out.

"It doesn't stop, it never stops." Aria told him. Suddenly there was a scream from below them. Latios tilted slightly so that they could look downward. Speeding toward them was a rather large Pidgeot.

"What is it doing?" James asked.

"It looks like its going to attack us." Aria said.

"If it gets too close, stop it with a Psychic." James told Latios. A second later, a great pulse of energy erupted from the eon pokémon, which hit the Pidgeot with enough force to break its flight path. The flying type fell for a second, before turning in mid air and speeding toward them even faster then before.

"Dodge it!" James called, and Latios rolled to the side as Pidgeot shot past. Then the bird pokémon turned, and shot an Air Slash at them.

"Dragon Breath!" James said, and fire erupted from Latios' mouth. However the Air Slash simply cut through it, hitting Latios with enough force to throw both riders off. James was suddenly falling through the air, Aria somewhere above him. Latios turned and dived after them, but an instant later the eon pokémon was hit by a Quick Attack from the Pidgeot. James was frozen in the air, unable to move at all, unable to scream, when a flash of dark light flashed from his belt. Dusclops burst from its ball and grabbed James, slowing down their decent almost to a stop.

"Thankyou." James breathed. His pokémon looked around, and James followed its eye until he spotted Latios, flying as fast as it could toward him, perused by the Pidgeot. As it neared them, Dusclops suddenly faded into nothing, and the eon pokémon shot through it, grabbing James and transferring him to its back, before diving steeply after Aria. James flattened himself against his pokémon's back as they flew down, only rising to grab hold of Aria. Thankfully she gripped onto his arms, because there was no way James could have hung onto her on his own, due to the massive forces exerted on them.

High above them, the Pidgeot dived, completely ignoring Dusclops, who reappeared and blasted it with a Blizzard.

_A Dusclops? I haven't got one of them. Time to add it to my collection. Pidgeot, bring me _both _pokémon._

Pidgeot flapped its wings, completely dispersing the Blizzard, before shooting an Air Slash at the ghost pokémon. It hit before Dusclops had time to do anything, and it was knocked out instantly. The pokémon started to fall, and Pidgeot swooped after it, snatching it up in its huge talons, before turning back toward the mountain.

"Hey!" James yelled, as Latios flew around, moving to a spot so that they were between Pidgeot and the mountain, and flying toward the bird pokémon. The Pidgeot screamed and flew forward.

It was going to be a collision.

"LUSTER PURGE!" James yelled, and the triangle on Latios' chest pulsed once, before a blinding flash of white light burst from it. An instant later however, Pidgeot slammed into them so hard that both trainers were thrown from Latios yet again, and the eon pokémon was driven backward, propelled by Pidgeot, who had hardly lost speed. Both humans fell again, however only for a moment, because almost immediately they stopped dead – caught by a psychic energy.

"Awe…" Aria said in relief.

"Argh!"

Suddenly the psychic energy holding them up began to squeeze them. They could no longer draw breath. The world went dark.

When his eyes came back into focus, it took James a few seconds to realize that he was in a room.

Lying down

Restrained by a psychic force

"Oh, your awake." A man said, walking over. He knelt down so James could see his face. He looked forty or so, and had grey hair. His face was slightly lined; he was wearing a black suit.

"Your name would be?" The man asked. James stared up at him. "I am Samuel, a pokémon Collector." He said. "I have particular interest in legendary pokémon, as I am sure you have realized, due to my capture of the legendary beasts."

"But, the Go-Rock Squad-"

"Captured them for me." Samuel concluded. "You see, to capture legends you need very good equipment. This," He held out a Cement Ball, "Is a special poke ball that has one up on the Master Ball. It will capture pokémon without fail, even if they have already been captured." He pressed the button on the front of the ball and in a flash of white light James' Dusclops appeared. It fell to the ground, looking thoroughly beaten.

"Dusclops!" James yelled. The beckon pokémon looked up, and tried to get to its feet, to go back to James, however Samuel walked in front of it and hit it across the back. The ghost pokémon was obviously very weak, because it went down easily.

"And this," Samuel continued, pulling a small torch from his pocket, "Is a special device that fills the subject with a special energy that makes them evolve." He directed the light at Dusclops and pressed the button. A red laser dot appeared on the pokémon. For a second nothing happened, then Dusclops started to writhe with agony, groaning.

"Stop it!" James yelled, trying to get up, however he was restrained too tightly. In front of him, the wriggling Dusclops started to glow, growing in size, before fading.

It was a Dusknoir.

The Gripper pokémon stropped writhing and instead lay still.

"You B-"

"Oh you haven't seen the best part yet." Samuel told James, dropping the Cement Ball onto Dusknoir, pulling the pokémon back inside. "There is a special operation that was developed in secret, to which I have obtained. When performed, it will increase the pokémon's power and make them completely loyal to me. They turn into shadow pokémon. You yourself have encountered one already; the Pidgeot who took down Latios was a shadow pokémon, which was why it so easily managed to tackle a legendary pokémon. Speaking of Latios, I'm sure your probably wondering what happened to it. Why don't you turn around and look?"

James turned, fighting it, however his body was being completely controlled by the psychic energy. When he had rolled over enough to see the pokémon restraining him, he was suddenly lost for words.

Latios.

The pokémon, usually friendly and concerned for James, was staring at him coldly, unblinkingly.

"Its already had the operation to transform it into a shadow pokémon," Samuel said, "Show him Latios, use a Dragon Breath on him." There was a puff of fire, which burst over James, burning his clothes and singeing his hair.

"Argh!" James yelled in pain.

"You may return to your cell now." Samuel suggested to James. Latios lifted him across the room, before guiding him into a separate room where Aria was sitting. When James was dumped there the door closed.

"No!" James said, jumping to his feet and ramming it. It didn't budge. He sunk to the floor, his energy gone, tears falling.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 – messenger to the spirit world

"Its complete, sir. The Dusknoir is now a shadow pokémon."

"Excellent." Samuel said. He was standing at the huge window at the control panel. Next to him sat the enormous pokémon Raikou. Now a shadow pokémon, the beast was unable to disobey whatever Samuel said, and through the microphone on the controls he was able to give it commands even when it was far away. The other two beasts – Entei and Suicune – were off attacking cities, however Samuel had a certain fondness for the beast of thunder, and had made it stay here.

"Where is the Dusknoir now?" He asked, without turning, "And the Latios?"

"Dusknoir is on its way to the holding bay, and the Latios is patrolling the skies above us."

"Excellent."

Dusknoir was truly on its way to the holding area. As it was now a shadow pokémon without a will of its own, there was no point transporting it inside a ball. It walked. Or rather, it floated, seeing as it had lost its legs forever when it had evolved. An interesting thing about Dusknoir was there ability to receive signals from the spirit world. This connection was used, not so that Dusknoir could snatch away souls, but so that they could protect this world from that one. However, now this particular Dusknoir was a shadow pokémon, it had no will and could not help to protect this world.

The thing about signals was that they sometimes have the ability to hack.

A signal from the spirit world, therefore, could hack into a soul that has been locked away.

And free it.

Dusknoir suddenly broke its straight backed walk and clutched its head, falling to the ground before floating sideways, bashing into the wall and then into the ceiling. Falling to the ground, the face on its chest opened its mouth, expelling a huge wave of darkness, while the antenna on its head flashed. Then the pokémon was still. After a few moments it got up, and walked through the wall.

In the room in which they were being kept, James and Aria had nothing to do but wait. They didn't talk; what was there to talk about. The simply sat there, against the wall. The collector hadn't bothered to take Aria's styler from her, nor James' Rampardos and Politoed, and he even still had Latios' master ball and Dusclop's dusk ball. Dusknoir. He would have to get used to that. Pokémon can never be changed back, once they've evolved.

Suddenly, speak of the devil; Dusknoir appeared, sliding silently through a wall, floating in the air. James jumped with fright, and Aria flicked out her styler, ready in case it was about to attack them. James readied himself. He should have been able to tell what was going on his in pokémon's mind, but he just couldn't be sure anymore. The beckon pokémon surveyed them for a moment, before turning to the door. The room was too small for Rampardos to stand in, and Politoed had been unable to break open the door, so they couldn't escape. However, Dusknoir had much more physical strength then Politoed. It floated to the door, and lifted a fist. Suddenly shadows burst around it, and with a powerful Shadow Punch, the door burst off its hinges.

"YES!" James said, jumping to his feet, knowing that he pokémon had returned. James went to him, and the beckon pokémon laid a powerful hand on its trainer's shoulder.

"Can you free the others?" James asked, not that he understood how Dusknoir had gotten free in the first place. The ghost pokémon nodded however, and moved out.

"Come on," James said, motioning for Aria to follow him.

"We should go to where he's keeping the rest of his pokémon, before we find him." Aria said.

"I guess," James said, then to Dusknoir, "Do you know where they are?" The pokémon thought for a moment, before reaching out for both their shoulders. Suddenly the floor beneath them was no longer physically there, or they weren't. The three of them slid down, Aria giving a small yelp of surprise, before dropping to the floor on the level below. Then, still griping them with an iron hard hold, Dusknoir moved them through a wall, into a room, then out, before dropping through the floor again.

Right into the holding bay.

The shadow pokémon, who had not needed to be restrained, suddenly turned from statues to live animals at the sight of them, and they lunged together at the intruders. Dusknoir's belly opened, and a rush of darkness came forth, washing over the pokémon, making them stop. Then, suddenly, there was a flurry of movement as every one of the flying pokémon took flight at once, shooting toward the wide open doors behind them, and to freedom.

"That was a Shadow Sneak." Aria said, "And I guess that's what's releasing the shadow pokémon."

_Stop them. _

There was a shriek, and the shadow Pidgeot flew in from outside to stop, almost stationary, in the air in front of them.

"Shadow Sneak!" James said, and Dusknoir let out a jet of darkness…

Which went straight through the normal type.

"That aint good." James said, as the bird pokémon sent an Air Slash their way. Dusknoir moved forward and grabbed the attack in its strong hands, throwing it to the side. The Pidgeot let out another cry, before waving its wings and sending a black wave at them.

It had just used Mirror Move.

Dusknoir took a direct hit, and was knocked backward, flying straight through James and Aria before floating back up again, and releasing a Blizzard.

"That Air Slash was powerful enough to knock Latios out," Aria said, as the Pidgeot flew backward and out of the holding bay, "Why was Dusknoir able to block it so easily?"

"Shadow pokémon are probably stronger then normal ones," James said, "And Dusknoir might still have the power in him." Suddenly the Pidgeot shrieked again, flying back around and this time shooting an Air Slash at the ground at their feet. The purified pokémon around them scurried to safety as the ground gave way, and Dusknoir grabbed both humans, allowing them to simply slide right through the breaking floor.

They dropped through the level below, upon which the floor was collapsing, and then to the level below that, where they stopped. Dusknoir gestured at the ground and shook his head.

"Isn't there another floor?" Aria asked. Again the pokémon shook its head.

"Well, then we'll just have to be careful." James said, turning away. They were standing in a long, wide room, and the wall beside them was made of glass, so that they could see outside.

Outside could see in.

"RUN!" Aria screamed, as the Pidgeot flew straight at the glass. The two of them sprinted to the door on the far side of the room, while Dusknoir stood its ground. There was the smash of broken glass, then a thud as Pidgeot drove Dusknoir into the wall. James pulled open the door when he reached it, and found a staircase.

"Come on, Dusknoir can follow us!" James yelled, starting up the stairs.

"Go on without me," Aria said, pulling out her styler, "I have an idea."

"No!"

"Get!" Aria yelled, turning around and flicking her styler open. She shot the beam at the shadow Pidgeot, and felt it shudder. However the bird pokémon was too strong, and the beam shattered. Dusknoir sunk away through the wall, and Pidgeot turned to Aria.

"Dusknoir, get me back to the other room!" she called, and the ghost pokémon flew out from the wall again and grabbed her, pulling her up through the ceiling. He deposited her on the floor of the holding area.

"Perfect," She said, spotting a Porygon-Z floating around. She had been sure that she had spotted one earlier, which was what made her think of her plan. Pointing her styler, she just managed to capture the Porygon-Z before the Pidgeot once again flew in through the window.

"Porygon, use Conversion!" Aria told it. The virtual pokémon flashed purple: it had changed into a psychic type. The Pidgeot, doing exactly as Aria had hoped, flashed too as it used Mirror Move – and consequently Conversion – and changed into a straight flying type, loosing its normal status.

Now it could be hit by ghost attacks.

"Shadow Sneak!" Aria yelled, and Dusknoir let a streak of darkness go out, which connected with the bird pokémon, making it shriek with pain, before falling to the ground.

There was a great smash, and Rampardos broke through the reinforced doors into the control room. There was a flash of lightning, and Samuel's Raikou shot a Thunder attack at them, which hit Rampardos, paralysing it.

"Politoed, Bubblebeam!" James said, and his frog pokémon jumped around him before letting off a stream of bubbles at the beast, distracting it, causing it to release its painful hold on James' rock type.

"Now the controls!" James said, and Politoed jumped over before anyone could stop it, and blasted the desk. Raikou roared with pain, shaking its head.

"There's no use, it will still obey me," Samuel said, smugly, "As will Latios."

The Eon pokémon flew down, the triangle on its chest pulsing. There was a sudden smash, and the Pidgeot flew through the newly broken window with Aria on its back.

"Air Slash!" Aria told it, and her pokémon let loose two blades of air – one at each of the legendary pokémon – which distracted them while Dusknoir rose from the ground. The Shadow Sneak attack scored a direct hit on Latios, making it fall out of the air with surprise. However, before the beckon pokémon could hit Raikou…

"THUNDER!" Samuel yelled, and his pokémon sparked.

"JAMES!" Aria yelled. Raikou let the attack fly, straight at James. Latios jumped into the air and flew straight at James, picking him up and carrying him through the smashed window, where the eon pokémon turned in such a way that James slid onto its back. The beast of thunder gave a growl, and leapt after them, out of the window and into the air.

It could fly.

The thundercloud on its back rippled as it raced after them, and James flattened himself against Latios. James' backpack started to lift off his shoulders; the speed they were going at was so immense. There was a clap overhead, and suddenly rain started to pour from the sky. Great heavy rain, that felt like bullets falling overhead. Raikou sent a blast of Thunder at them, which Latios dodged, before turning in a wide arc and sending a few blasts of DragonBreath in return.

"We cant keep going on like this," James said, although the wind and rain meant that he could hardly even hear the words. Latios understood however, and sent a memory into James.

The Cement Ball they had found at the ruins!

It was still in his bag!

Latios flew back toward the mountain before stoping in mid air. James wriggled around, unzipping his pack and pulling out the cracked ball. In his haste, his grip slipped, and in his effort to regain his hold on Latios, he dropped his bag. It fell away, immediately becoming lost in the rain. James therefore gripped the only two things in the world – ever dependable Latios and the ancient ball. Raikou flew toward them, running in the air, and James hoped to whoever would listen that the ball would work. Latios let out a Psychic blast, making Raikou pause slightly, and James threw for all its worth.

It connected.

With a flash, Raikou disappeared inside the ball.

The storm ended.

"Guys, good job. And I mean _really _good job." Spencer was saying, while James and Aria collapsed upon a chair each, back in the ranger base. Lyra was there too. James had forgotten about her completely in all the excitement, and had been slightly shocked to see here there.

"Don't suppose you captured a Poliwrath after all that?" She asked him. James simply groaned.

"You can thank me later then." Lyra said, throwing down a miniaturized poke ball into his lap.

"You caught one?" he asked, "Awe, thanks so much Lyra,"

"So we going home?" She asked him.

"I guess."

"Hey Spencer," Aria said, "I've recently come to a decision; I wanna take a bit of a leave from the ranger union."

"What?" He asked, "You want to leave? Why?"

"Made friends with a Pidgeot," She smiled, "And I fancy seeing now good I can train it; others too. Maybe hanging around with James has left an impression on me."

"That sounds great," Lyra said, "And maybe James will be good enough to give you a leg up, you know; show you around and stuff."

"You two have fun then." Spencer smiled.

"What?" James asked. Somehow they had all manipulated him into some sort of verbal contract.

"So James, where do we go first?" Aria asked him.

"I don't know," He sighed, "My house – need to sleep – that dude's house – need to trade with him – then somewhere else."

"Well lets get started," Aria said, standing up. James groaned.

"Don't worry James," Lyra said, patting him on the shoulder, "You'll be thanking me for this before too long."

"You dog, you." Spencer smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24 – The Battle Tower

"Thanks so much for letting me stay here." Aria said to James' mum over the breakfast table.

"Oh no, that's fine dear, James is doing that all the time. I remember when he brought Brendan home, his Rhyperior pooped all over the place."

"Where is he anyway," Aria asked, "Out training?"

"Course not," James' mum said, "Hasn't come out of bed yet. Laziest pokémon trainer there ever was."

"Your beautiful aren't you?" James said, stroking his new Espeon's purple fur. It purred, rubbing itself against him. Both his newly obtained Espeon and Umbreon were sitting on his bed, along with Eevee. Although it was unlikely, it was always possible that these two weren't the evolution pokémon's real parents, however even if that were the case, the two had certainly taken a shine to the young one. Last night, as always, Eevee had slept on the bed with James. Therefore, so had its adoptive parents. Umbreon seemed more protective then Espeon, and was even now lying sphinx-like next to Eevee; while Espeon was making the most of James' affection. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." James said. It opened and Aria came in.

"Whoa James, I could have waited," She said. As he hadn't gotten up yet, James wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I'm a dude, Aria, get over it." He said. She sat down on the bed. "That Pidgeot still hanging around?"

"I'm pretty sure its here to stay – it likes me." Aria said.

"Wonder what's wrong with it?" James said. Aria hit him.

"You got any plans for today?" She asked him.

"Was planning to stay in bed."

"Come on, that's boring." She complained, "Don't you only have two badges? Why don't we go to a gym?" James thought for a second.

"We can go to the Battle Tower," he said, "Its near Mauville, and we can stay there and go for the badge later."

"Um, okay," Aria said, "Why not go for the gym first?"

"There kinda the same thing," James told her, "If you win at the Tower, then you get the Dynamo badge."

"Cool, lets go. Get dressed. Can Gallade Teleport us there?"

"Yea, he'll be able to do that fine," James said, reaching for his mobile on the desk.

"What you doing?" Aria asked.

"Seeing as we're going to the Battle Tower," James said, scrolling through his contact list, "May as well get a tag team going."

"Tag team?"

"Two trainers battling together, versus two other trainers," James said, "If a team wins the challenge, then they each get a badge." He held the phone to his ear, "Hey Wally, its James. You haven't gotten the Dynamo badge yet have ya? Good, I'm heading over now, and what do ya say to a tag team battle? Cool, meet you there at ten or so." He hung up.

"Lets get going."

A little past ten, James and Aria were walking down the street in Mauville City, approaching the doors to the largest sky scraper they could see – the Battle Tower.

"You guys took your time." Wally said, standing up from the bench he was sitting on and walking over to meet them, "By the way, who are you?"

"Always had a way with words, didn't ya?" James said.

"Aria," She said, "I'm a ranger from Fiore."

"And you're staying with James?" Wally asked, looking between them, "How many dates have you two gone on?"

"None," Aria said, calmly, "he's actually afraid of asking me out."

"What?" James said.

"Well," Wally said, "How bout this: if me and James both get Dynamo badges today, then you two have to go on a proper date – boyfriend and girlfriend style."

"I'm cool with that," Aria said. They were suddenly both looking at James.

"Um…Okay?" He said.

"Great!" Wally shouted, "You have now entered into a binding, verbal contract, and failure to comply with the terms to sed contract will result in persecution. Lets go sign up for the Battle Tower, shall we?"

"And what pokémon will each of you be using? Bear in mind that in a tag team only three pokémon per trainer can be used, and only one per battle." Said the receptionist. James and Wally were now standing at the front desk, signing up for the challenge.

"Gardevoir, Magneton and… Altaria." Wally said.

"Oh, so I see you're thinking tactically and have come up with a team that's not even in the slightest." James rolled his eyes, "Grovyle, a Combusken called Blaze, and a Politoed."

"So what order do you want them to battle in?" The receptionist asked.

"Magneton fist, then Gardevoir, then Altaria." Wally told her.

"Politoed, Blaze, Grovyle." James said. After she had typed that in, she directed them to the elevator.

"All right," the receptionist said, "Go through there, someone will direct you to the elevator when its time for your battle."

"And heres the blue team. Wally, James, and their pokémon Magneton and Politoed, give them a big hand everybody!" The announcer said, as the pair of them walked into the colosseum, and into the trainer box. Good thing it was longer then a normal one, as they both had to share it. James pulled out his Net Ball and spun it on his finger.

"What are you doing?" Wally asked him.

"This is what I do." James said. Wally turned away, throwing the miniaturised Poke Ball into the air, and catching the enlarged version, before throwing it overarm onto the field. James, already spinning the enlarged ball, threw it underarm. With a flash of green and red light, the two pokémon immerged. They didn't look at each other – they had gotten to know their new battle partner in the waiting room, as had the rest of James and Wally's pokémon, and now they only had eyes for their opponents: a Carnivine, and a Steelix.

"I'll take Steelix, you take Carnivine." James said. Wally nodded.

"Begin!" The umpire yelled.

"BubbleBeam!" James said, and Politoed opened its mouth and let a stream of bubbles at the iron snake, who met it with a DragonBreath.

"Tri Attack!" Wally shouted, and Magneton launched a spinning triangle at Carnivine. The grass type was too slow at dodging the move, and it managed to graze it. On contact, the triangle let out a burst of fire, a puff of icy mist, then a bolt of electricity. Carnivine was knocked backward, paralysed, and lay on the floor, struggling to stand.

"Iron Tail!" The Steelix's trainer said, and the iron snake's tail glowed, before it smashed it downward.

"Bounce!" James said, as Politoed jumped out of the way. When I landed it jumped again, hard, and managed to land on Steelix's face.

"BubbleBeam!" James said. Politoed let out a burst of bubbles, and Steelix collapsed backward.

"Water Pulse!" James said, and Politoed threw a ball of water at the ground. The Steelix smashed its tail down, performing Rock Throw and sending a bolder at Politoed, completely blocking its attack.

"James, help!" Wally said. James looked around for Magneton, and saw that Carnivine had planted a Leach Seed on it. Magneton was unable to move, and its power was being sent straight to Carnivine.

"Hyper Voice!" James said, and Politoed let out a bellow. It rippled through Carnivine, however the Leach Seed continued.

"Nice one." Wally said, as Steelix smashed its Iron Tail into a distracted Politoed.

"Oh shut up," James said, "I've got an idea, but it'll hurt Magneton."

"Don't do that ya idiot!" Wally said.

"Other wise that Leach Seed will knock him out," James said, "Politoed, use Water Pulse on Magneton!" Politoed shot a ball of water at its ally, which burst over him in a destructive wave – washing the seed away. Magneton shook itself off, floating into the air.

"Thunderbolt!" Wally said, and his pokémon launched the electric attack at Carnivine. A direct hit.

"Hyper Voice on it too!" James said, and Politoed let a blast of sound come forth. The two attacks, as well as the existing damage from the battle, were too much for Carnivine, who fell over backward, unconscious. There was a brief pause as its trainer withdrew Carnivine, after which Steelix let out a DragonBreath.

"Metal Sound!" Wally said, and Magneton let out a screechy wail. Steelix countered with Roar, drowning out Magnetons attack.

"Water Pulse!" James said, and Politoed shot a ball of water at Steelix, hitting it in the face once again.

"Tri Attack!" Wally said, and his pokémon shot a projectile into Steelix too. Water Pulse, Tri Attack, Water Pulse… One attack after another, as the two small pokémon thundered Steelix with blasts of power until finally, the tower of steel collapsed.

"Steelix is unable to battle!" The umpire said, "Blue team wins!"

"Gosh that was close." Wally said, as the pair of them walked into the waiting room, "Did you really think that Water Pulse thing would work?"

"No idea," James admitted, "But next time, we need to work together more; gang up on one pokémon."

"Okay sure, as long as we don't give the other guy a clear shot at us." Wally said. At that moment, Aria came in.

"What are you doing here Aria, this is for battlers." James said; however his objections disappeared immediately as she pulled him into a hug.

It was strange. James had been hugged by girls before, however those hugs had been empty of emotion, as though they had simply been shaking hands.

This one was short, but ever so sweet.

"Right, lets go!" James said, walking out. The other two looked after him.

"Just where is he going?" Wally asked.

"I don't know." Aria said.

"All right," James said, as their new opponents sent out their pokémon – a Mismagius and a Crobat, to join Blaze and Gardevoir in the arena. "Heres what we do. First, I attack one of them, then you follow through straight away, then its your turn, and I do the same thing."

"What a great plan." Wally said, sarcastically.

"We'll keep doing that for a while, see what happens." James said, as the umpire started the match. "Blaze use Flamethrower!" A stream of fire shot toward the two opponents. Crobat fluttered away, while Mismagius shot out a Shadow Ball to block the attack.

"Psychic!" Wally said, and a burst of energy ripped through Crobat.

_Wasn't what I meant, _James thought, _but what the hell_.

"Mega Kick! On Crobat!" James said, and Combusken leapt into the air. Just before the attack struck however, the Crobat split in two. A Double Team. Suddenly the colosseum was filled with flying Crobat. At the same time, every one of them let out an Air Cutter. Despite the fact that only one was real, they all looked real, and Blaze had no way of dodging the move. It was hit, and the attack was super effective.

"Calm Mind!" Wally said, and Gardevoir focused, "Now use Shock Wave!" Gardevoir let a burst of electricity loose from its arm, and the attack curved in the air, before striking a Crobat. Every single copy disappeared as the original fell from the air.

"Flamethrower!" James said, directing Blaze at Mismagius, who had shot a Shadow Ball at Gardevoir. The attacks collided, forming a shock wave that rippled the arena. Wally's pokémon, free from distractions, let loose a blast of Psychic, and Crobat was knocked out. When it was safely back in its ball, the match continued.

"Flamethrower!" James said, getting really tired of it now. When facing a ghost type, Flamethrower was Blaze's only move which would do damage.

"Psychic it!" Wally said, and Gardevoir caught the fire tunnel with a blast of mental energy, then threw it all at once toward Mismagius, holding it there, not letting the attack disperse. Within a few seconds Mismagius had fainted.

"We are awesome at this!" James said, as the two of them walked into the waiting room.

"Those badges are ours." Wally agreed.

"What?" James asked, "Oh yea. Aria!" He turned to the ranger, who had been sitting on a chair against one wall, "Do I get another hug?"

"No." She said. At this, James was visually crestfallen. Aria laughed. "If you win this battle I'll let you hold my hand in the movie though." James, slightly embarrassed at the taunt, ignored her.

"This is it, ladies and gentlemen. This is the final battle for these teams of trainers. Whichever team wins will receive the Dynamo badge today, so lets stop all this talk and start the battle!" The commentator said. "On the blue team: Wally's Altaria and James' Grovyle. On the red team: Matt's Scizor and Tom's Floatzel."

"Let the battle begin!" The umpire said.

"Sky Attack!" Wally said, and his Altaria flew upwards, before diving at Scizor.

"Iron Defence!" Its trainer said, and Scizor's armour flashed. The Sky Attack connected, though the dragon type was knocked backward on impact – no damage was done.

"DragonBreath!" Wally said.

"Leaf Blade on Floatzel!" James said. As Wally took care of Scizor, Grovyle ran for the water type.

"Waterfall!" The Floatzel's trainer said, and the pokémon leapt forward, water bursting around it. Although the Leaf Blade had a type advantage, the Waterfall attack had the full body weight of Floatzel behind it, and Grovyle was knocked backward off its feet.

"Metal Claw!" Scizor smashed its iron pincer into Altaria, who went down. As it was struggling to its feet, James noticed Scizor coming dangerously close.

"Quick, Slam it!" James said, pointing at Scizor, and Grovyle ran forward and smashed into Scizor, knocking it into the air. Scizor flew backward, before its wings came out and it glided back to Grovyle, its Metal Claw attack ready. Grovyle jumped forward, grabbed hold of its pincer, and used its weight and momentum to throw Scizor to the ground.

"Sky Attack!" Wally shouted. Altaria screeched, flew up into the air then went into an almost vertical dive. Grovyle leapt out of the way, as the dragon type smashed into Scizor, knocking both pokémon out from the sheer force of the impact.

"Leaf Blade!" James said, when battle had resumed.

"Waterfall!" Floatzel gushed forward again.

"Slam 'em!" James said, and this time Grovyle slide-tackled Floatzel, before swinging out with its tail. It was a technique they had seen on TV at a competition, and which James had been keen to practise and try out in battle.

"Bullet Seed!" James said.

"Endure!" Floatzel stiffened itself. Unlike Iron Defence, Endure didn't completely stop the pokémon from taking damage, although it lowered the damage taken greatly.

"Ice Fang!" Its trainer said, and Floatzel leapt forward. Grovyle jumped to avoid it, however it couldn't get out of the way in time. Floatzel grasped the wood gecko pokémon's tail; there was a burst of icy wind, before Floatzel slammed Grovyle into the ground. Then, because it apparently hadn't hurt Grovyle enough with the last attack, the sea weasel pokémon grabbed the leaf that came from Grovyle's head in its teeth, and started to swing it around. Within seconds a bright light was gathering around its front, as though it was gathering energy.

_It's going to use Hyper Beam_. James thought.

It wasn't the first time he had been wrong

Floatzel threw Grovyle away, and the wood gecko pokémon landed on its feet, before letting a huge beam of light burst forward, straight at Floatzel.

It wasn't a Hyper Beam of Floatzel's.

It was a Solar Beam of Grovyle's.

As the powerful beam of light flashed across the colosseum, the brightness of it seemed to be consuming everything. As though Grovyle were a light bulb. After a moment, it was completely white in the arena. Then it faded.

Grovyle was no more

"YOU EVOLVED!" James yelled at his Sceptile, while Floatzel, quite understandably, collapsed. He ran forward, onto the arena, while Wally remained, pleased though slightly embarrassed. When he reached Sceptile – now almost his exact height – the pokémon only smiled at him.

"Where you holding out on evolving till the right moment, just like you did before?" James asked. His pokémon nodded. "Argh, your so annoying." James said. Sceptile smiled and held out its hand.

"What? No high-five?" James asked, nervously reaching out. There was a flash of green, and Sceptile slapped his hand so hard and fast that it immediately went bright red. "ARGH!" James said, hugging his arm, while Sceptile dropped its mature stance and laughed heartedly. There was a flash of white light, and Blaze the Combusken burst from his Premier ball. It gazed up at its training partner with bewildered eyes.

"Great," James said to it, "Now I suppose your going to go and evolve."

Later, after James and Wally had been presented with their Dynamo badges, they had left the Battle Tower and checked into a Pokémon Centre, James and Aria were indeed going on a date. Just a movie, nothing fancy; although James was so nervous that it could very well have been. During the movie, James wasn't really concentrating, more inclined to think about the girl on his left, until finally: "Hey, Aria, I seem to remember something about holding hands." She smiled and grabbed it, and didn't let it go until after the credits rolled. Afterward, they shared another hug.

Short but ever so sweet.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 – a training session with Falkner

"Mirror Move!" James said, as Espeon jumped out of the way of a Gulpin's Sludge Bomb. It steadied itself, before the gem on its head glowed and a ball of poison formed in front of it. The attack shot toward the opponent, hitting it square on but doing little damage. Of course, James could have easily told Espeon to use Psybeam, which probably would have knocked the poison type out, but this was only training. His sparing partner had sportingly agreed to help James try out his newest pokémon.

"All right, Umbreon your up," James said. The moonlight pokémon, who was sitting behind him, didn't really want to stand. It still hadn't gotten completely used to James yet, as Espeon had, although after a nudge from Eevee it ran onto the arena.

"Tackle!" His opponent said, and the Gulpin bounced forward.

"Dark Pulse!" James said. A blast of darkness erupted from the glowing rings on Umbreon's body, and it knocked Gulpin backward.

"Alright, that's enough." The Gulpin's trainer said.

"Okay, thanks," James said. He knelt down to be closer to his pokémon's level, and started to pat them. Espeon and Eevee leapt into his hands, and within a second Umbreon had joined them. He would get used to James with time; sleeping on his bed every night helped.

"James?"

He stood up and looked at the speaker – Falkner.

"Um, hey Falkner," James said. He hadn't spoken to the battle instructor very often, and still slightly uneasy around him.

"I saw you on TV, when you were at the Battle Tower," Falkner told him, "You and Wally did well. Suppose he went back to Verdanturf?"

"Yea, he has relatives there." James said.

"Shame, he's a good battler, and God knows we need more good fighters here." Falkner said, looking around at the battlers. James glanced around too. Most of the trainers had first or second stage evolution pokémon, and the one or two who had a final stage – apart from James – didn't look like they really had full control over them yet.

"You however," Falkner said, "You have real talent."

"Do ya wanna battle me?" James asked, suddenly getting excited.

"No, you're not that good." Falkner said. "However I wouldn't mind giving you a quick training session, maybe teach your Sceptile a very handy move."

"Why Sceptile?" James asked. Falkner was a famous flying-type trainer. Why he would have chosen James' grass starter to mentor was beyond him.

"I just know what they can do," Falkner said.

"But why do you want to help me train anyway?" James asked, before realizing that it might have come off very rude, "Sorry."

"Na, that's ok," Falkner said, "Its mainly because, well, I would love to say that I mentored the champion of the pokémon league."

"All right," Falkner said, once they were standing out the back of the colosseum. Both James' Sceptile and Falkner's Dodrio were out of their balls, and they were standing on a patch of flat ground. A safe distance away, a few students were watching.

"Now, the move I'm going to try to teach you is called Detect. Its very useful, cause it lets you dodge all attacks."

"That's cool," James said. He had seen Detect on TV, but he hadn't really known what it did.

"Now, first of all, to demonstrate Detect, I want Sceptile to attack Dodrio. Dodrio knows Detect, and It'll use it to dodge Sceptile's attacks."

"Okay then," James said, "You ready?"

"Go on," Falkner said.

"Leaf Blade." James said, and Sceptile walked forward, its blades glowing. It slashed out, and Dodrio's heads moved easily out of the way. Sceptile readied itself, before suddenly slashing low, however Dodrio again stepped easily away.

"Detect wont work forever, because after repeated use your pokémon will loose concentration." Falkner said, "But when faced with a powerful attack, Detect can be invaluable."

"So how do we learn it?" James asked.

"Sceptile has the speed," Falkner said, "It just needs to concentrate on the opponents movements. When Dodrio does Detect, it closely watches your Sceptile, and the smallest movements make it dodge. Come on, try it now."

After about half an hour, Sceptile was beginning to get it. However, it was still having difficulty. Although, using Detect, it could dodge _most_ of Dodrio's Fury Attacks, it took too long to ready itself.

"Good," Falkner said, returning Dodrio to its ball, "I think your getting pretty good."

"Not really," James said, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't worry," Falkner said, "Its easier to learn moves by accident then through training. Though, I know a place where I think Sceptile will learn Detect very easily now its got the basics. Its where I practised."

"Where?" James asked.

"Just at a cove on the cost," Falkner said, "We can go now, make it back in time for dinner, if you have your Gallade with you."

"I don't," James said, "But I can call it." A few seconds later Gallade had Teleported to them, and now stood there, brilliantly cool looking.

"Okay, lets go," Falkner said.

"To the coast, Gallade, thanks." James said. The blade pokémon nodded, before there was a flash of light, and they were suddenly standing on sand.

"It's a bit further down that way," Falkner said, "Around the corner, past those rocks; you might want to Teleport again." After another jump, they had reached the correct location. This area, despite being right on the shore, was made of rock, not white sand, and one had to walk with care. Or at least, they did. The inhabitants however, didn't seem to have that problem.

Swampert.

Very big Swampert.

"They aren't as fast as Dodrio," Falkner said, "but their much stronger. Do you want to try using Detect on one of them?"

"Not really," James said. One of the five or so Swampert, noticing the trainers, picked up a rather large rock and threw it at them. Sceptile dived at them, knocking them to the ground, hard, as the rock landed behind them.

"Thanks, buddy," James said, dimly recognising his bleeding elbow. "You okay Falkner? Was that a Rock Throw?"

"I'm fine, and I think that was just it throwing a rock at us." The gym leader said.

"What's the difference?" James said, before he realized that the Swampert was picking up another rock. "Sceptile, Leaf Blade it!" Sceptile ran forward, and slashed the bolder in two. The halves fell down on either side of the Mud Fish pokémon, which looked at them for a second, before suddenly punching Sceptile, hard, in the chest.

A Hammer Punch.

The forest pokémon flew backward a few metres, before landing on all fours.

"Your going to have to dodge those, James, use Detect." Falkner said.

"Okay, I'm getting there," James said, "Sceptile use Slam!" The forest pokémon ran forward, and threw its hard tail at Swampert, who caught it. It really was strong. Swampert opened its mouth and blasted Sceptile with Muddy Water.

"Detect, James," Falkner said, as Sceptile broke free of Swampert.

"Solar Beam!" James said. Sceptile started to charge energy, however it was late afternoon, and there was little sun. Swampert smashed the ground with its front legs, sending out a quake, which knocked both trainers and Sceptile off their feet.

"Slam it!" James said, getting up. Sceptile ran at Swampert again, which readied itself to catch Sceptile's tail.

"Detect!" James said, and his grass type jumped out of the way of Swampert. The mud fish pokémon let out a bellow, and shot a Muddy Water at Sceptile, who dodged out of the way, using Detect.

"Leaf Blade!" James said, pulling out a spare Poke Ball from his pocket. Sceptile slashed Swampert across the belly, before using Detect to dodge out of the way of a barrage of Hammer Fists.

"Solar Beam!" James said, and Sceptile began to absorb light. However, before the attack was ready, Swampert let out a cry and ran, on all fours, toward the sea. The others joined it. Within a few seconds they had disappeared beneath the waves. Sceptile let the Solar Beam loose into the sky. James put the ball back into his pocket.

"You scared them off," Falkner said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "And good job, that Detect is pretty decent now." James hadn't even realized he had started to use the evading move. For a second there, the Swampert had been his.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26 – Palmer and the dragon master

It was nearing midday when James stepped into the Petalburg Gym. The girl at the desk told him that, despite his appointment, the gym leader was still battling another trainer. He was allowed to go in and watch however. As he walked into the arena, he saw the titanic battle which was taking place, and stopped in his tracks. It was obviously about to end – the challenger had lost.

"Iron Tail!" The gym leader said, and his Dragonite flipped over in the air, before smashing its steel-hard tail down on the head of a Blastoise. The shellfish pokémon fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Get out and train." The gym leader said, simply. The challenger returned his pokémon and walked out, looking as though he was barely holding it together.

"Do your pokémon need to rest?" James asked, hoping that they didn't, "I can come back."

"Does it look like it needs rest?" The leader asked. James glanced at the magnificent Dragonite. It didn't look as though it had a single scratch on it.

"No?"

"No, it doesn't," The leader said, "And it probably wont after I beat you, either. How many badges have you gotten?"

"Uh, three." James said. The leader raised his eyebrows.

"Three? That last trainer had seven, and he was no match. Don't waste my time." He turned away, walking to where his Dragonite had landed.

"Oi!" James said, "I've come for a battle, I booked a battle, and cause you're a gym leader you cant refuse my challenge!" The leader looked back at him.

"What's your name?"

"James Millar." He said.

"I've heard that name before," The leader said, thoughtfully. "I'm Palmer. I used to be the Tower Tycoon in Sinnoh. That means I count as a Battle Frontier Head. No one challenges my gym unless they have at _least_ seven badges already, and all their pokémon are final stage."

"Why not?"

"Cause other wise they don't stand a chance." Palmer said.

"I might not have seven badges," James said, "But my pokémon are final stage; and at least you can battle me. If I loose, then I'll come back when I'm ready."

"Fine." Palmer said, "But just to let you know, I'm going to be going against you hard. I'm in no mood to battle anymore today."

"For this battle, the challenger must win three matches with three different pokémon. If the challenger looses at least one battle, then the match is over and no badge will be rewarded. Send out your pokémon." The umpire said, with a lot less gusto then James was used to.

"Milotic, lets show 'em." Palmer said, throwing out a Net Ball. Even as the tender pokémon took the field, James knew what he would choose to counter it. A grass type beats a water type, so he would choose his grass type.

"Sceptile!" James said, throwing out his Poke Ball.

"Yet another trainer who assumes that a simple type advantage would beat me." Palmer said. James barely had time to comprehend what he had meant before the umpire had declared that the battle had begun.

"Ice beam!" Palmer said, and his pokémon launched the attack straight away.

"Detect!" James said, and Sceptile weaved to the side.

"Dragon Pulse!" Palmer said, and his pokémon let out a roar, which knocked Sceptile off its feat.

"Get up, use Slam!" James said, and his pokémon leapt at Milotic.

"Hypnosis!" Palmer said, and Milotic's eyes flashed. Sceptile stopped in its tracks, to stare unblinkingly at its opponent. Milotic slid forward, toward its prey.

"Ice Beam."

"Leaf Blade!" James said, desperately. Sceptile however didn't move. When Milotic was good and ready, it blasted Sceptile from close range with an Ice Beam attack, entrapping the forest pokémon in a huge block of ice.

"Sceptile is unable to battle!" The umpire said. James was shocked. He hadn't even hit Milotic once."

"Return Milotic," Palmer said, recalling his pokémon to its ball.

"You should go and train," Palmer said, though rather softer then he had been to the first trainer.

"Thanks," James said, coldly.

"Wait," Palmer said, "You're a good trainer; I knew that before we even battled. Now, you aren't strong enough to defeat me at the moment, but when you are, it wont be because you have trained your pokémon better, It'll be because you've learnt to use them better." James didn't say anything, although he didn't particularly like the fact that Palmer was pretty much insulting him now.

"I think you should pay a friend of mine a visit." Palmer said. "He's a member of the Elite Four, who lives in Mossdeep. Drake."

"What? Why?" James asked.

"He'll help you out," Palmer said. "And your Sceptile will be fine after a rest. No need to take it to a pokémon centre."

"Okay," James said, thinking that he may as well.

Good thing he had Gallade.

In Mossdeep, it was afternoon, and the sky was full of the sound of flying pokémon, and the salt from the sea. James, finding a house that matched the address Palmer had given him, walked up the front path and knocked on the door. The house looked old. Someone yelled something from inside, and James waited. A minute later the door opened, and Drake himself stood there.

"What do you want?" he asked, gruffly.

"Um," James said, "I'm James, I'm a pokémon trainer-"

"I'm not givin you a battle," Drake said, shutting the door.

"Wait! Palmer sent me!" The door opened again.

"Why?"

"He said you'd know." James told the dragon trainer. Drake sighed.

"All right, come on in." He said, stepping back inside and leaving the door open. "And take off your shoes."

Drake stumped over to an old couch and sat down, gesturing to an armchair opposite.

"Now, did you by any chance just have a battle with Palmer?"

"Er, yeah I did." James said.

"Thought so," Drake said, "And you lost? How many badges do you have?"

"Three, and yeah I lost." James said. Drake gave out a gruff sort of noise, as though complementing himself for being correct.

"Three badges? And you challenged Palmer? How you go?"

"He knocked out my Sceptile before I even got a hit in."

"Ah," Drake said. He sat there for a moment, not talking. James wanted to say something – it felt very awkward just sitting there – however he was too nervous.

"Come outside," Drake finally said, "I want to see your pokémon." In the yard – a space of little grass, the occasional patch of weeds and prickles, and much sand – there waited a Shelgon.

"Is that your…?" James asked. Drake's Shelgon, famous for its wish not to evolve, had won Drake many battles in the past.

"Well its one of my Shelgons," Drake said, "But I don't use it to battle. Now, bring out your pokémon."

"All right," James said, pulling two Poke Balls from his belt. First Manectric and Politoed, then Combusken and Dusknoir, then Sceptile and Gallade. Drake walked from one pokémon to another, bending down when necessary, and studying them. Not as a breeder would, James realized. They would look for imperfections in fur and in the eyes. Drake seemed to be looking for something else. Eventually he reached Sceptile.

"This is the pokémon you battled with?" He asked.

"Yea, anything wrong with it?" James asked.

"It's fine," Drake said, "And it's very strong. I think it's not the pokémon who lost the battle. Don't take this the wrong way, but I believe that you're the one who needs more training."

"What?" James asked. It was hard not to take that the wrong way.

"You train your pokémon well," Drake said, "And they're powerful. However it seems to me that they aren't the problem. Perhaps you need to use more strategy, or maybe you need to play to your pokémon's strengths. I don't know. What I do know is that you need help."

"Thanks." James said. So far he wasn't particularly enjoying this visit.

"I can't give you that help," Drake said, "But that Shelgon can."

"What do ya mean?" James asked. The Shelgon was at the moment sitting away from James' other pokémon, not wanting to mingle.

"Shelgon evolve into Salamence _only_ after a heck of a lot of training. My Salamence was my first pokémon, and it was my last to evolve. I took on Shelgon because I missed training them, I had had Shelgon so long. You will only be able to defeat Palmer when you had reached a certain level, yourself. A level where you are just as strong as the pokémon you command, and you both can work together as one mind. You notice how Palmer's pokémon reacted almost instantly to commands? He's reached such a level. For you to become truly excellent, you must do the same."

"Okay," James said "How would I know that I'm at that… level?"

"Because Shelgon would have evolved." Drake said, pulling an Ultra Ball from his pocket and handing it to James.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27 – left behind

Having been refused a sparring match by Gallade, Blaze sat down on the grass. It wished that life could go back to the way it used to be. Back when Sceptile was still a Grovyle. Back then, Blaze had a friend, who would always be ready to train with him, or find food, to explore the forest, or whatever they fancied doing. Now, it was all wrong. Sceptile, though still alike with Grovyle in terms of personality, didn't enjoy playing around with Blaze as it had done. They had sparred occasionally, but the forest pokémon had always won too easily. Blaze had become like the friend of a sibling, and being around each other had become slightly awkward.

The other members of James' pokémon team weren't much better. Gallade, who put up with Blaze, was visually much more interested in meditating, mentally powering itself up for its eventual rematch with the other male Gallade which had stolen its mate. Dusknoir, a ghost type, didn't get along with Blaze at all when they mingled, so in order to keep the team together the two pokémon tended to avoid one another. Politoed was never interested in battling at all, unless told to by James. Manectric, along with Eevee and its parents, stayed inside James' house. There was Rampardos, who would play with Blaze, giving it a challenge, however Rampardos acted like a dog, and was clearly below Blaze in the hierarchy. The problem was, that Blaze wasn't very high himself. He was being left behind.

Especially with the newest edition to the team – a pokémon that closely resembled a rock – Blaze was noticing that it was being used by James less and less. It used to be trained every day. Then James didn't battle with Blaze in order to use Shelgon. Then another day went by. After a while, there was a week or so between the times when Blaze was being used. Shelgon however was being trained every day. Sceptile too, was being used, and would go with James to pokémon trainers school every single day. Blaze hardly went at all.

"Right, you guys," James said, in front of his pokémon, who had gathered together. Blaze was at the back, peering around Tropius. "Today we're going to go to Dewford…" Gallade sighed: another Teleport. Blaze didn't know why Gallade found it so wearisome. These days James usually travelled on the girl's Pidgeot; and besides, overwork was better then no work.

"Now I was planning to use Gallade and Espeon…" What? No he wasn't, James had been planning to use Blaze in their next gym battle. That was why they had started to learn how to use Brave Bird…

"…But I've decided that Shelgon should battle instead of Gallade, so you can take a rest this time, buddy." Gallade sighed again – whether in relief or annoyance Blaze didn't know. As the crowd of pokémon started to disperse, and Gallade, Espeon and Shelgon wandered up to their trainer, Blaze remained standing. He had been training for this battle for ages, yet he had been forgotten again. All because he wasn't final stage, like Sceptile. Yes, if he was final stage, then he would never be left behind again. And, even better, he would have his best friend and training partner back.

As James and the girl kissed goodbye, Blaze focused. Sceptile had told him that evolving this way hurt, and the forest pokémon had been much closer to evolving naturally then Blaze was now. As he focused his energy, crouching down, James returned his pokémon to their balls and stepped toward Gallade. Slightly to the side, the girl's Pidgeot was watching Blaze, curiously. Blaze focused harder, trying to recall the feeling when he had evolved originally. He let out a cry, and Gallade snapped around. James glanced around and cried out.

"Blaze!"

_Oh, so now you notice me! _Blaze thought, before the pain suddenly vanished. His world was obscured by a blinding light. This was it. He felt himself growing taller, felt his limbs growing longer. His head was suddenly weighed down from the back, as long hard hair grew out. Then his neck strengthened, and he no longer noticed the extra weight. His legs grew suddenly much longer, and much stronger. His arms grew thinner and ended now in three claws. As the light faded, Blaze realized that he was now taller then all of them.

"Notice me now!" It roared into the sky, as flames burst from its wrists.

"On second thoughts," James said, "Maybe Shelgon doesn't need to battle this time round."

"This is a two on two battle, okay with you?" Brawly asked James, once both had stepped into their respective trainer boxes.

"Yea, its fine," James said. This gym, unlike the two others he had been in, was not decorated with an environment; it was a simple concrete-floored arena.

"All right," Brawly said, "For my first pokémon, I choose Medicham!"

"Espeon, lets go!" James said, throwing the only Poke Ball on his belt onto the arena.

"Begin." The umpire said.

"Medicham, start it off with a full power Focus Punch!" Brawly said.

"Mirror Move!" James said. As energy began to build around Medicham's fist, Espeon's gem flashed, and, lacking a hand to make a punch, energy built up around its whole body. The two pokémon charged, the two attacks connected, and both were blasted back.

"Psybeam!" James said, and a stream of psychic energy burst from Espeon's gem.

"Psychic!" Brawly said. Medicham caught Espeon's attack with its mind, turned it around, and sent it straight back at Espeon.

"Dodge!" James said, and the sun pokémon jumped to the side. The Psybeam followed, scoring a direct hit.

"Recover!" James said. The gem flashed, and Espeon was undamaged, once again.

"Drain Punch," Brawly said, "Get that energy back!" Medicham ran forward, its fist held high, but Espeon leapt out of the way, running to the side and blasting it with a Psybeam. Medicham wobbled backward.

"Reversal!" Brawly said, and Medicham clapped its hands together, sending a shock wave at Espeon which knocked it backward.

"Focus Punch!" Brawly said.

_If I Recover,_ James thought, _then Medicham will have a free shot at me_.

"Mirror Move!" James said, and once again Espeon charged. The two pokémon connected, and there was an explosion of power.

Both fell down.

"Neither pokémon can continue!" The umpire said.

"Return," Brawly said, recalling Medicham to its ball. James ran onto the pitch and picked up Espeon. It purred in his arms, so much like Eevee would have done.

"Good job," James said, depositing the pokémon on the ground near the trainer box. It lay down and made itself ready to watch the next battle.

"Now go Hariyama!" Brawly said, throwing out a ball. The arm thrust pokémon appeared, in all its glory. James pulled the Premier Ball off his belt and enlarged it.

"Its your first battle," James said, "Make it count!" With a flash of white light, Blaze appeared. A fully evolved Blaziken.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Arm thrust!" Brawly said.

"Fire Punch!" James said. Flames burst from Blaze's wrist, and it charged toward its opponent. Both pokémon punched each others fists, there was a spurt of fire, and Hariyama pulled back, a burn on its hand.

"Blaze Kick!" James said. Fire burst around Blaze's foot as it swiped at Hariyama in a vicious roundhouse kick.

"Close Combat!" Brawly said, and Hariyama ran forward.

"Flamethrower!" James said. Blaze took a step back and shot fire at Hariyama, who simply burst through them. The arm thrust pokémon punched Blaze first in the face, then in the shoulder, before kicking one leg out from under him, sending the Blaziken to the ground. Hariyama kicked Blaziken in the ribs, and went to do it a second time, however was stopped as Blaze shot out a hand to grab Hariyama's approaching foot. Fire burst from blaze's wrist, and Blaze pulled Hariyama's foot away, making the pokémon fall. Blaze leapt from the ground, landing upright a few metres away.

"Close Combat again!" Brawly said, and Hariyama pulled itself to its feet, then ran at Blaze.

"Brick Break!" James said, and Blaze Punched Hariyama in the face with a glowing fist. James grinned. No wonder why everyone wanted a Blaziken – they were totally awesome.

"Brine!" Brawly said. Hariyama punched Blaziken, there was a burst of water, and Blaze exploded backward to smash into the back wall.

"What was that?" James asked, automatically.

"Brine, it's a water move," Brawly said, "Hariyamas the only non-water type who can learn it. If your pokémon has taken a lot of damage, then Brine's power is doubled. I kept it in reserve so that you would have your guard down, and I could make it count." Blaze, crumpled against the wall, struggled to stand.

_I cant loose,_ it thought, _if I loose, then I'll be left behind._ It roared, and pulled itself to its feet, its fists flaming with the power of its ability.

"Good on ya," James said, "Get it with a Flamethrower!"

"Brine!" Brawly said. Hariyama punched the wall of flames coming at it, and the fire attack burst apart.

"_I will never loose!_" Blaze roared, before charging. Neither James nor Brawly, of course, understood what it had just said, but they got the gist of it. Blaze ran, blue and red fire bursting around its whole body. James recognised the attack.

"Brave Bird!" James said. Blaze connected before Hariyama had time to dodge. The arm thrust pokémon was knocked off its feet, flew several metres, before falling to the ground and rolling.

"Hariyama is unable to battle, Blaziken is the winner; and the match goes to James Millar!" The umpire said, while Brawly attempted to help his massive pokémon up. It was too heavy to move however. Blaze walked over and grabbed its opponent's hand, and pulled the arm thrust pokémon to its feet.

"_I heard what you said_," Hariyama told Blaze, while Brawly presented James the Knuckle badge. "_I sure hope you can keep that promise._"

"_Thankyou,_" Blaze said, shaking Hariyama's hand.

He would make sure of it.

"But I don't understand," James said into the phone, "How can Blaze have learnt five moves? Blaze Kick, Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Brick Break, Brave Bird. I thought it was only possible to know four moves at a time?"

"Most of the time it is," Falkner's voice replied, "But occasionally a pokémon can learn an extra one. It all has to do with its special attack. Some pokémon learn moves that no other species can learn. Ever. Blazikens' Blaze Kick is an example of that. Sometimes, if a pokémon knows its species special attack, then its possible to learn an extra move. Its sorta like, that special attack doesn't count. Sort of."

"So does that mean that Sceptile and my other pokémon can learn an extra move too?" James asked.

"As long as Sceptile knows Leaf Blade, he should be able to," Falkner said, "but James, you've entered into a new stage of battling now. Your pokémon are strong, so your going to have to battle stronger opponents now. Remember, if your pokémon can learn five moves, then so can your opponents. Your going to have to start using more strategy in your battles then ever before. When pokémon of such a high level battle, that's the only way to keep on winning."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28 – Morning Sun

"Espeon, use Morning Sun!" James said. The sun pokémon looked at him for a second, before flashing white.

"No, not recover," James said, "You've got to learn how to use Morning Sun, and forget about Recover. Absorb your energy from the sunlight." Espeon looked up at the sun, its gem glittered, and for a second James thought it was about to use Morning Sun. However Espeon simply flashed white, without releasing rainbow lights like what would happen when performing Morning Sun.

"Ah, that's enough for now," James said, and Espeon jumped away, to rejoin Umbreon and Eevee.

"Shelgon, come here," James said. He was standing out the back of his house, on the grassy slope. His pokémon were spread out, either training on his or her own – which was the case with Blaziken and Gallade – or playing, or resting. The Tropius, including the green bull which James used to battle, was in the rainforest, as was Sceptile, and Politoed was teasing Carvanha at the edge of the pond. Rampardos, for some reason that James was not certain, was running in random directions, as though it was chasing something invisible. Manectric was dozing on the porch. Dusknoir was gone, probably to patrol the streets, looking for people to scare. The Gripper pokémon had disappeared for several days on previous trips, so James wasn't worried.

"Time for training buddy." James said to his dragon type. "Hey Umbreon, I need you." The moonlight pokémon walked over.

"I need you to battle Shelgon, alright?" Umbreon nodded and walked a few metres away, before turning back around.

"You ready Shelgon?" The endurance pokémon grunted, which James took to mean a yes, and turned to face Umbreon.

"All right," James said, "Use Flamethrower!" Shelgon shot a blast of fire from its mouth at Umbreon, however the moonlight pokémon split. A Double Team. Ten Umbreons stepped forward, before launching a Shadow Ball each.

"Iron Defence!" James said, and Shelgon's armour flashed. The only real Shadow Ball, which came from the left, broke apart on the endurance pokémon's armour.

"Hydro Pump!" James said, and Shelgon opened its armour and blasted water at the Umbreon copies, breaking the fake ones. The real Umbreon jumped out of the way, before using Psychic. Its eyes flashed, and the wall of water flew up into the air, then straight down at Shelgon.

"Iron Defence!" James said, and once again his pokémon hid. Umbreon, obviously annoyed, used Psychic again, this time to pick Shelgon up and throw it down the hill. The endurance pokémon half rolled, half bounced down the slope, before hitting a thin tree and toppling it. There was a screech from overhead, and James looked up. Even from underneath, he recognised it as a Pidgeot.

"Hey Aria, what's up with Pidgeot?" James asked.

"That aint my Pidgeot." Aria said. The bird pokémon turned and flew down to land on a reasonably level piece of the hill, and its rider slipped off.

Brendan.

"Hey James," Brendan said, walking over to the house, while Pidgeot took flight once again. It headed over to a tree on the edge of the forest, clearly preferring that to resting on the ground.

"Hi," James said, "Um, Aria this is Brendan."

"Hey," Aria said.

"Hello, you must be the infamous Aria," Brendan said, "Turns out I'm pretty infamous too, look at this," He pulled open a metal case from his pocket and flipped it open. On the bottom side, stood the eight badges needed to enter the pokémon league. On the top was another three.

"Why the heck did you get eleven badges?" James asked.

"Why not, the competition isn't for a while," Brendan said, "One of those is a Kanto badge anyway."

"Why you go to Kanto?" James asked.

"To get Pidgeot." Brendan said.

"But Pidgeots been your pokémon for ages…how long have you had those badges?"

"Just barely missed out on last years competition." Brendan said.

"Your pokémon must be tanks," James said, "How many you have?"

"Just six," Brendan said.

"Why only six?"

"Cause that means you can train them solely; you have tons of pokémon, so – no offence – but they wouldn't be as strong as my team cause mine have gotten more training."

"My pokémon are great," James said, "If you don't think so, I'll battle you right now. Why you here anyway?"

Brendan pulled out a Luxury Ball.

"I need come competition."

"Go Aggron!" Brendan said, throwing out his Luxury Ball. There was a flash of red light – though a different red to those of normal poke balls – and the Iron Armour pokémon appeared.

"Your up Shelgon." James said, and the endurance pokémon ran forward.

"You ready?" Brendan said. James nodded. "Good, Aggron, use Metal Claw!"

"Flamethrower!" James said. Shelgon breathed out a spurt of fire, however Aggron ran straight through it, completely unaffected. Its Metal Claw hit Shelgon hard enough to send it flying; though not hard enough to knock it out.

"Aggrons a rock type, as well as being a steel type," Brendan said, "Fire doesn't affect it."

"Water will," James said, "Shelgon, use Hydro Pump!" the endurance pokémon shot a Hydro Pump at Aggron.

"Metal Burst!" Brendan said. A ball of glowing energy formed in Aggron's hands, which swallowed up the Hydro pump, growing bigger in the process.

"Iron Defence!" James said.

The Iron Armour pokémon directed the glowing ball at Shelgon, before letting it burst forward. A huge shockwave washed over Shelgon, blasting it backward and knocking it out.

"Shelgon, you okay?" James asked, running to it. Shelgon was already coming to, and it would clearly be fine after a few hours. The think shell protected it against almost anything – though apparently not enough.

"You up for a different round?" Brendan asked, "My Shiftry needs a workout."

"Eh, maybe later." James said, "Where you get so good?"

"All over the place," Brendan said, "I travel a lot; not just in Hoenn, I've been to Kanto a few times, its where I got Pidgeot."

"Maybe I should go there," James smiled.

"Maybe you should get all the badges first." Brendan said.

"Probably a good idea," James said.

"So how many badges do you need?" Brendan asked, sitting down on a chair on the porch.

"Four, James said, "I've got badges from Lavaridge, Mauville, Rustboro and Dewford."

"Any ideas on what your gonna challenge next?"

"Not really," James admitted, "Although I want to challenge Falkner some time, and I need a rematch with the dude from Petalburg."

"Why don't you go battle them then?" Brendan asked. James shrugged.

"Don't think I'm good enough, that's the main reason." He said.

"Maybe not," Brendan said, "But if you want to get good enough, going old fashioned is a good way to get there."

"What you mean?"

"You know, travelling around with a team of pokémon. Staying at pokémon centres, battling trainers you see on the way."

"Did you do that?" James asked.

"Yea, it really helped," Brendan said, "You pick out say, four of your pokémon, and you promise yourself that your not going to swap them for any other ones once your on the road. When you get to the gym you'll all be ready for it."

"You should do it," Aria said, coming out of the house holding a cup of something."

"Would you be coming?" James asked. She nodded.

"Sure, my life's boring here."

"Kay then, whatever," James said, "What do you think we'll need to take with us?"

"Just basic stuff," Brendan said, "I always travel light, just a basic back pack, cause I can always cheat and fly somewhere on Pidgeot. You'll probably just need a sleeping bag in case you don't get to a pokémon centre, and a few bottles of water."

"Alright," James said, stretching.

The next day, after the sun had well and truly risen, James and Aria were standing on the porch. Brendan had left the previous afternoon, James' dad was working somewhere, and his mother had gone shopping, after checking his new backpack a few times.

"You ready?" James said, popping Espeon's poke ball from his belt and looking at the sticker on it. Due to his continual problem of not being able to tell his poke balls apart, his mother had gotten James a set of stickers. The stickers were of the pokémon type symbols, and James had used them to label his poke balls. Espeon, for example, had an eye shaped sticker on its ball, even though, for this journey, it was the only actual _poke _ball on his person (excluding Sceptile's, which already had a symbol on it). He had chosen on four pokémon – Sceptile, Blaze, Espeon and Shelgon – and two were on either side of him. Two poke balls, a premier ball, and an ultra ball.

"Yea, I'm ready, where we going?" Aria asked.

"There's a trail through the forest, and it leads to the Weather Institute. There's a Pokémon Centre there." James said, "We should reach there a long time before dark, and there's food in my bag."

"Good," Aria said, "Lets go."

He really didn't know how other pokémon trainers could stand it. After a solid three hours of walking along the board walk through the jungle – which wasn't very even – he was completely exhausted, and would kill for a nice bed. When they finally reached the Institute – a large white building that stunk of boredom – they trudged straight into the pokémon centre, booked a room, and lay down on the beds for a bit. The television was playing something, but James wasn't watching it. Aria was in the other room, in the shower. He hadn't taken off his boots, only his backpack and belt, as it was irritating him. However, now it was on the chair, it seemed to be somehow staring at him, reprimanding him for not training at that very instant. James couldn't make himself comfortable, so he sighed and grabbed it.

Outside, he brought out Espeon.

"Lets try that Morning Sun again," James said. Espeon nodded, however instead of Morning Sun it was obvious that the sun pokémon had performed Recover. The problem was that, without knowing Morning Sun – Espeon's special attack – it wouldn't be able to learn a fifth move, giving it an advantage against other pokémon. Blaze already knew five moves; and Sceptile, despite already knowing Leaf Blade – its special attack – couldn't use a fifth move yet. James had wild fantasies about it using Leaf Storm, however nothing of the sort had occurred as yet.

There was a buzzing, and a huge bug pokémon flew out through the trees. A Heracross.

"Psybeam!" James said, pointing at the single horn pokémon. Espeon shot a beam of energy at it, which connecting with its back. The Heracross fell off the tree, before flying up into the air and away.

"Ah," James said, partly annoyed, partly sad, as the wild pokémon fled.

"Don't worry," James said. He was about to return Espeon to its ball when he heard something. A buzzing. He looked up and jumped out of the way, as the Heracross smashed into the ground, putting the full force of a Megahorn behind it. Espeon, caught up in the blast, went flying. The single horn pokémon flew away once more, this time for good.

"Espeon!" James said, running over to where it was lying. It didn't stir. It had taken a super effective hit, after all. From where the light was spilling through the trees, it made Espeon's gem glow.

The sun.

"Use Morning Sun!" James shouted at it. Nothing happened at first, then the gem began to shine with earnest. Not a Recover, no. This was Morning Sun. Rainbow light was spilling from Espeon's forehead, and it felt wonderfully warm. It washed over the sun pokémon, restoring its energy, healing its injuries.

The sunlight faded.

Espeon opened its eyes.

"You okay?" James asked, stroking it. Espeon stood up and rubbed itself against his hand.

"Good," James said, looking after the Heracross. He wasn't going to go after it. It didn't deserve to be hurt, or captured; it deserved to be thanked.

He could see what Brendan meant, about how training the old fashioned way could be better.

Suddenly, the long walks didn't look _quite_ as bad.

Though still quite bad.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29 – Into the dragons' land

A few days after setting off from Fortree, James and Aria, now out of the jungle, started to hit mountain. Nothing too hard at first, just rocky ground; but after a few hours the incline grew more severe.

"Are we lost?" Aria asked.

"Probably," James told her, looking around, "Get Pidgeot to fly up and tell us where to go."

"Kay," Aria said. But instead of pulling out a poke ball as he had expected, she simply called out. There was a shriek above them, and the bird pokémon flew overhead. James didn't know why he expected Aria to keep it in a ball – she was a ranger after all. After a few seconds Pidgeot flew back down, a jet of fire following it.

"What?" Aria asked. There was another cry, and a pokémon flew over them, chasing after Pidgeot. However it was much too slow to catch the bird pokémon. The peruser slowed to a stop, then turned, spotting the humans. It yelled at them, before shooting a Flamethrower.

"A Flygon!" Aria said.

"Blaze!" James said, without even taking out his poke ball. There was a flash of white light, and his Blaziken burst into being before him. Its wrists burst into flames, and it moved into the way of the Flamethrower, blocking it with its burning hands.

"Why did it do that? Why is it attacking?" Aria asked, "We didn't hurt it,"

"Maybe Pidgeot went into its territory or something." James said, "Blaze, use a Flamethrower right back!" Blaze shot a burst of fire at the mystic pokémon, however the attack missed completely. It was too hard to hit the fast moving flying pokémon.

"It's a dragon/ground type," Aria said, "Fire attacks are no good anyway!"

"Get back Blaze," James instructed, "But we might need you again." Blaze nodded and walked back to join them.

"Espeon, Psychic!" James said, throwing out a poke ball. Espeon appeared in a burst of red light. It landed on the ground in front of them, and reached out with a Psychic. The dragon type burst straight through its mental restraints however, and flew straight at them.

"Psybeam!" James said. Espeon's attack simply annoyed it.

"Brave Bird!" James said, and Blaze burst into the air behind them. Red and blue light burst around it, and Blaze stretched out its arms, connecting with Flygon with enough power to knock it off its path. Flygon flew down to land in front of them, standing on its hind legs and roaring.

"Does it want to battle?" Aria asked.

"Don't know," James said, "But I don't think its gonna let us go. I might have to capture it."

"Why you?" Aria asked, "Why can't I catch it?"

"Um, sure, go ahead." James said, slightly taken aback.

"Pidgeot, use Quick Attack!" Aria said, and Pidgeot burst out of the trees at Flygon, hitting it in the chest. Flygon flapped its wings, flying upward and kicking up a Sandstorm.

"Whirlwind!" Aria said, and Pidgeot flapped the sand away. The distraction had given Flygon time however, and now it was high above them. It sent a Flamethrower at them, which Espeon caught and sent away with a Psychic.

"Mirror Move!" Aria said. Pidgeot flapped its wings and flames burst forth, which hit Flygon, making it scream.

"Can I have a poke ball?" Aria asked.

"Uh, yea sure," James said, opening his backpack and pulling out an Ultra Ball, "You might need this.

"Thanks." Aria said, "Pidgeot use Whirlwind again!" Pidgeot flew above Flygon and flapped up a wind, blowing it down toward Aria. Aria attempted to aim, and threw the ultra ball up at Flygon. There was a burst of gold light, and the mystic pokémon disappeared.

"Yea, good job," James said, as the ultra ball fell to the ground and Aria ran to it. James was about to follow her when he heard a noise. A sort of buzzing. Within seconds, hundreds of Flygon had taken to the air on the nearby mountain. They formed a swarm, and flew straight at them.

"That aint good." James said.

"They might not be flying at us." Aria said, sounding as though she doubted it herself.

"Somehow I don't think so." James said, pulling his remaining two poke balls from his belt.

"We can't fight off that many," Aria said, "We couldn't fight off one!"

"Right," James said, returning the poke balls to his belt and returning Blaze and Espeon to their own. "Well you have flying types, do you wanna outrun them?"

"We can try, go Flygon!" Aria said, throwing out her new pokémon. There was a flash of gold light, and Flygon appeared. Aria ran to it, and her pokémon allowed her to clamber on. James himself got on Pidgeot, and the pair of them took to the air. As they did so the cloud reached them. Flygon were everywhere, and James instantly lost Aria. Heck, he lost everything. He couldn't see the ground, the forest, the sky, the mountain. Nothing.

"GO!" James yelled, and Pidgeot sped in a direction which he hoped was up. Flygon were swarming around them, ripping at each other. It was strange; if the pokémon were trying to attack them, they would have had more luck going one by one. Due to their sheer numbers, they couldn't really reach James. He still felt the occasional wallop, however. Then Pidgeot burst out of the cloud.

"Make for the mountain!" James said. He had no idea why he wanted Pidgeot to do so; just that he thought it was the best place. They must have been near Lavaridge, because that was where the tallest mountains in Hoenn were, thought James. Well not all of them were mountains. At least one, this one, was actually a volcano. They flew around the top, then down into it. James was about to stop Pidgeot, before thinking that it probably was the safest place they could be.

It wasn't

There were three people there.

Three people James had seen before.

Three people wearing blue clothes.

"Awe, you've got to be kidding me!" James said, as Pidgeot slowed down to hover in mid air.

Matt, Shelly, and Archie, of team Aqua.

"Ah," Archie said, looking up at James' voice, "Its you. What was your name? James? How are you, and how is my Latios?"

"It was never _your _Latios!" James said.

"No, I guess you can argue that," Archie said, "But these are mine." He pulled two miniaturized poke balls from his pocket and threw them. With two flashes of light, a Garchomp and a Walrein appeared.

"That's breaking tradition a bit, aint it?" James said, meaning the dragon/ground type, and taking a step back.

"Garchomp is crucial to our plan," Archie said, "He has utter control over the Flygon, they listen to it."

"Awesome." James said, pulling two pokémon from his belt. A leaf-emblazed poke ball, and a premier ball. A second later his pokémon stood on either side of him, ready to fight.

"Kill them." Archie told his pokémon.

"Knock them out!" James said, and his pokémon rushed forward. Sceptile's leaves turned to blades, and it leapt at Garchomp with awesome speed. The dragon type dodged and shot a Flamethrower, but Sceptile used its leaves to split the fire and dived through it, before slashing both Leaf Blades across Garchomp. Blaze jumped into the air, easily dodging an Ice Ball sent by Walrein, before using Brick Break. Its foot glowed white, and it dropped onto the ice break pokémon, scoring a critical hit.

Sceptile Slammed into Garchomp, throwing it to the ground, before letting loose a Solar Beam. Although it wasn't super effective against the dragon type, it was strong enough to knock Garchomp out cold. Walrein, already teetering on the edge of consciousness after the fighting type attack, received a Blaze Kick to the face, which made it roll over and black out.

Archie, seeing both his pokémon out for the count, laughed.

"Your pretty good, better then that; have you considered a spot on Team Aqua?"

"I'm not joining you," James said, "Nothing that you do is good."

"You see," Archie said, "A few weeks ago, I would have agreed."

"James!" Aria said, as she flew down on her Flygon. The scene obviously looked very strange for her. The hollowed out inside of a volcano, and a large patch of dried lava, on which sat James, Archie, Matt and Shelly. Blaze and Sceptile were both standing, as guards, on either side of James, and Archie's pokémon were still knocked out.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Archies about to tell us," James said, "You ok?"

"Fine," was all she said.

"A ranger?" Matt asked, a smile coming to his face. Aria patted the styler at her hip.

"Might come in handy," Archie muttered.

"For what?" James asked. Archie looked at them for a moment, before sighing.

"I am going to tell you everything, James," He said, "You will understand why when I am done.

A few weeks ago, something strange happened in Kanto. Storm clouds were approaching, everyone was predicting rain. It was the right time of year too. However, before it started to rain, the clouds simply vanished. Since then, no rain has fallen, no due has even formed. The humidity has been so low it is virtually non existent. They've fallen into drought."

"So?" James asked.

"Kanto never has drought, not for centuries," Archie said. "After a few weeks, drought has been announced in Johto. Other regions too, are falling into drought."

"So?" James asked again.

"If you plot the areas affected by drought," Archie said, slightly annoyed, "then it appears that they form in a line. Its as though drought is spreading, in a line, across the Earth. There is only one explanation for this. Someone has captured Groudon."

"That's bad, isn't it?" Aria asked, "I'm not too good with Hoenn legends."

"Groudon made the continents," James told her.

"It also battled Kyogre," Archie said, "Who made the oceans. The battle nearly destroyed the whole Earth, until Rayquaza broke it up."

"Aren't they supposed to be sleeping?" James asked.

"Yea," Matt said, "But that doesn't mean they cant be woken."

"So where do you guys fit into this?" Aria asked.

"We want to find Kyogre." Archie said, "And make it battle Groudon."

"And what will that do?" Aria asked.

"Make Rayquaza appear, return the wether to normal, and free Groudon." Archie said.

"And why are you telling us this?" James asked, "I know you said that it would be obvious, but it really aint."

"You could help us." Archie said. "You are obviously powerful enough, and we could use all the help we can get."

"What happened to your huge Team Aqua and the hundreds of goons?" Aria asked, a smile on her face.

"I'm afraid we're going the same way that Team Magma did," Archie sighed, "We haven't had new members for a long time, and most of us have left. Anyway, you haven't answered. If I cannot have your support, then we must depart." He stood up and went to Garchomp. Matt went too, and Aria stood up after a few seconds and went to check Flygon. That left James and Shelly, alone together. There was a sudden flash of light, which made James jump, and a Crobat appeared. The bat pokémon flapped over and hovered in front of James, as if trying to remember him. James remembered all right, although he hoped the Crobat didn't. He had once locked it in a cage against its will.

"Don't worry," Shelly said, "Its not going to hurt you."

"I'll take your word for it." James said.

"It wont," She said, "Its not monster. It only attacked you last time because I told it to."

"That makes me feel much better." James said. Shelly held out her arm. Crobat flew over and handed upon it, before rubbing Shelly's head.

"I've had it for years now," Shelly said, "Got it for my first pokémon. My dad comes in on my birthday with a box, and inside is a little Zubat, asleep. Its really friendly, not like my other pokémon, although it doesn't really care for other people at first, unless I let it know that your friends." Shelly held out her arm, and Crobat looked at James for a moment, before fluttering onto his head.

"Last chance," Archie said, once Garchomp was ready to fly out. They were going to ride him, and make the army of Flygon follow. James shook his head. Archie turned and clambered up onto Garchomp. As Matt and Shelly walked over to their leader, James walked over to Pidgeot, and Aria to Flygon. His pokémon were safely away. Time to leave.

He still didn't know what caused it. It could have been Archie or Matt, accidently hurting Garchomp while climbing aboard. It could have been the sight of Aria approaching a fellow Flygon. It could have been that one of the wild dragons were startled by something insignificant. Whatever happened, suddenly every one of the Flygon had taken to the air, screeching. The sudden noise made Garchomp rear, and it slammed the ground using Giga Impact. The hardened lava cracked, and the magma beneath bubbled up, before gushing up and spurting away. Pidgeot took fright, and James, who was sitting on it, clutched at it to avoid falling off. There was nothing but a endless cloud of Flygon for a few moments, before Pidgeot cleared the top of the volcano. They landed, and by the time James had stepped off, Aria's Flygon had swooped down too.

"James!" She yelled, falling toward him. James caught her in a hug.

"You ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," She said, "You?"

"Yea I'm good," James said, as Garchomp landed a few metres away. Matt jumped down.

"Pull yourself together!" Archie yelled at him.

"She's dead!" He yelled back. James felt something drop inside him.

Shelly hadn't made it to a pokémon.

"She wouldn't want-" Archie began.

"Shut up!" Matt roared at him, "This is all your fault! Don't tell me what she would a wanted!"

"Do not speak to me that way!" Archie yelled, using all the authority he could muster.

"Stuff you," Matt said, turning, "I'm off."

"You can't run from what you've started!" Archie yelled after him. In answer, Matt ripped off the blue headband he wore, and threw it to the ground. He walked away.

"So I have lost my last two members today," Archie said, quietly. Before James or Aria could say anything at all, Garchomp had taken off.

"Come on," Aria said, "We'll fly to the closest city and book into a pokémon centre." James nodded, and went to climb back onto Pidgeot. Then he stopped, and walked over to where Matt had dropped his headband. Picking it up, he placed it inside his backpack. There was no particular reason for doing so, however he thought that he should. He was once again about to climb onto Pidgeot, when a screech stopped him. They both looked around, and James spotted Crobat flying from the volcano. It must have escaped somehow, through the storm of Flygon. Crobat fluttered over to James, and landed on the arm James offered it.

It no longer had a trainer. But Shelly said that she had had it for years.

A pokémon trained for years wouldn't be able to cope in the wild, especially away from its natural habitat. However, Shelly had said that it would be fine with whoever Shelly had introduced it to. She had done so to James.

There was a spare poke ball in his bag.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30 – time for battle

The salt air was blowing. The Wingull were screaming. James was standing on top of the cliff, overlooking the beach. Down below him, on the sand, two trainers were battling. From his vantage point, James had watched the entire fight. It was nearly over. One of the trainers, who owned a Charizard, had the upper hand since the beginning. They were battling a trainer and his Ursaring. As James watched, Ursaring let loose a Hyper Beam – a last attempt at gaining a win – which Charizard dodged. Then, while Ursaring was recovering, Charizard flew down and landed right in front of it, before blasting Ursaring with a Blast Burn attack. That was the only thing it could have been, the explosion from the attack was so hot and bright.

As the two trainers withdrew their pokémon, James started to run down the cliff toward the beach. Aria was at the pokémon centre, so it was just him today. He pulled a poke ball from his belt, a ball marked with a poison droplet and a wing symbol. Crobat burst into the air, and flew along beside him. In the week or so since he had adopted Crobat, the bat pokémon had gotten used to him, and the pair had already won a succession of battles. James liked Crobat because if its Air Cutter, X-Scissor and Supersonic attacks wernt enough to beat down opponents, then he could always rely on Crobat's Poison Fang. Once bitten, the opponent would be knocked out in a matter of minutes. After the battle was over, Crobat would then move over to it, and lick the wound. Something in the bat pokémon's saliva counteracted the poison, so that the opponents pokémon wouldn't get any worse once the battle was over.

"Get him to stop." James said, and Crobat flew ahead, down to the beach. Strangely, Crobat's natural instinct wasn't to fight or hurt opponents. Apart from its diet of blood, it was actually quite gentle, and when James reached the beach, he found Crobat simply flapping around in front of the trainer who owned the Charizard, blocking its way. The trainer appeared to find it rather funny.

"Hey!" James said, stepping down onto the beach.

"Hey, this yours?" The trainer asked.

"Yea, couldn't let you get away, not after that battle,"

"You were watching?" He asked, "I'm Nick."

"James," He said, "You entering the Pokémon League?"

"I am in Johto, came here for a bit of training," He said, "I've got all the badges, but the league hasn't started yet."

"Can I battle you?" James asked, "I haven't got all the badges for Hoenn yet, but my pokémon are strong."

"Sure, that's why I'm here." Nick said.

"One on one?" Nick asked, "I'm just training Charizard at the moment, cause he's who I'm gona use to get me through the Preliminary Rounds."

"You just use one pokémon in the Preliminary's?" James asked, "Here they have double battles."

"Well, seeing as you asked me for the battle, I get to make the rules," Nick said, "Go Charizard!" There was a flash, and the large fire/flying pokémon appeared, blowing a breath of fire into the air.

James thought about his choice. Blaze and Sceptile would both have weaknesses against Charizard, so they were no good. Espeon and Crobat would probably do, however they were small in comparison with regard to size, so there was the danger of them simply being over powered. Shelgon however, would be resistant to Charizard's attack, and it also knew Hydro Pump.

"Shelgon!" James said, throwing his pokémon out.

"Now what's that?" Nick said.

"Shelgon," James said again, "It's a dragon type."

"Wow," Nick said, "I've never battled a dragon type before."

"Really?" James asked. Nick shook his head.

"Dragonite and its family are the only dragons native to Johto, and they're pretty rare. This should be good."

"Cool," James said. They moved about five metres away from each other, and they're pokémon did the same.

"You want to go first?" Nick asked.

"Sure," James said, "Shelgon, use a DragonBreath!"

"DragonBreath!" Nick said. The two attacks met in the middle, and exploded. When the sand had fallen, James searched around franticly for Charizard.

"Steel Wing!" Nick said, and Charizard swooped down from above.

"Iron Defence!" James said, and his pokémon hardened itself. Shelgon was knocked away, but the sand prevented it from rolling far.

"DragonBreath!" Nick said, and Charizard walked up to Shelgon.

"Hydro Pump!" James said, and Shelgon shot a blast of water before Charizard could attack. It was a direct hit, and super effective, and Charizard stumbled backward.

"Fly!" Nick said, and Charizard jumped into the air. It flew around, before slamming into Shelgon from behind. Shelgon rolled away, down toward the ocean.

"Hydro Pump!" James said, and his pokémon shot a blast of water at Charizard.

"DragonBeath!" Nick said, and the dragon attack split its way through the water, causing major damage to Shelgon.

"Iron Defence!" James said.

"If we cant break through," Nick said, "Pick it up and drop it into the ocean!" Charizard swooped down and grasped onto Shelgon, making sure that its mouth was pointed away from it. Then the flame pokémon leapt into the air, carrying Shelgon away.

"When you fall break the surface with Hydro Pump!" James yelled after Shelgon. The two trainers looked after the pokémon, flying higher and higher. It looked as though Charizard wanted to finish Shelgon off, so it was carrying it as high as it could. However Shelgon was heavy, and a hundred or so metres up, Charizard couldn't hold on any longer, and let go.

The wind was strong, and Shelgon fell straight into the side of the cliff, smashing against the hard surface, before falling to a ledge and bouncing off. It rolled down the cliff, smashing against rocks on the way.

"God I didn't mean that to happen." Nick said.

"That's ok." James told him. He was fairly sure that Shelgon's armour would be strong enough to keep it from serious injury, especially as it was a species that wasn't unknown for jumping off the edge of mountains. A few seconds later, Shelgon rolled down onto the sand, and Charizard landed nearby. James ran over to check on it. When he wiped the dirt away, he grew instantly worried. Instead of smooth armour, there were now gashes out of it, and some had even started to peel away from the top.

"Are you okay?" James asked, rolling Shelgon over. Its eyes stared at him for a second, before it shuddered. The piece of armour that was coming off suddenly peeled away all together. The pokémon shuddered again, and another piece peeled away. Under the space that had been covered by the armour, Shelgon was glowing. James recognised the light immediately – it was the light that shone whenever a pokémon evolved. He reached toward Shelgon and gripped a piece of armour, which had become softer. He peeled it away, while another piece fell off from the other side of Shelgon. As another fell, James peeled the last segment away, and the glowing light completely covered Shelgon. Then it started growing. Its body lengthened, a tail formed, wings appeared, a neck grew. The light faded, and a huge Salamence stood where Shelgon had landed. Its body was over three metres high – twice the size of a normal Salamence. James smiled, suddenly thinking that Drake had known this would happen. Salamence roared, and flapped its wings.

"So that's a Salamence," Nick said, walking up, "Don't suppose you still want to battle?"

"Why not?" James asked, grinning. "But hey, you wanna battle in the air? Flying on our pokémon,"

"Yea, sure, that should be fun." Nick said.

"You recon you can carry me on your first flight?" James asked Salamence, stroking its neck. Salamence roared again, and flapped its wings. James took that as a yes, and climbed aboard. After a thought, he took off his backpack and strapped it to one of Salamence's legs, removed his poke balls from his belt and placed them in his pack, along with his cap, and used his belt and a length of rope (which for some reason was in his bag) to tie himself to Salamence, preventing him from falling. Then the dragon pokémon let out another roar, and flapped its wings. They took to the air, and James felt a rush coming from his pokémon. Charizard – another pokémon that knew the feeling of finally being able to fly – joined them. The wind was stronger up here, and neither trainer could hear one another, so Nick flew away, before his Charizard turned and made a very obvious Flamethrower attack, which missed on purpose. The battle had begun.

"Flamethrower!" James said, and Salamence shot a burst of fire at Charizard, while flying up and around. Charizard dodged the attack, and sent a DragonBreath in return.

"Dragon Claw!" James said. Salamence flew straight at the DragonBreath, flew into a vertical position (which made James grateful that he tied himself down) and slashed out. The attack was ripped apart, and Salamence shot a Hydro Pump from where it came. Charizard dodged out of the way, before sending a Flamethrower at them. They flew away.

"We're never gona win at this rate," James said, "Fly close to them!" Salamence shot toward Charizard, its claw glowing. Charizard shot a DragonBreath at them, and Salamence's wings snapped out, stopping in its tracks and going into a vertical position, with its exposed belly facing the attack. The DragonBreath ripped through them, a super effective hit, and James waited for Salamence to fall…

Instead it started rising.

James laughed. On Salamence's belly was the same type of armour that had previously covered Shelgon's whole body. It hadn't taken any damage from the last attack.

"Hydro Pump, and fly in closer!" James said, and Salamence did so. Charizard let loose a DragonBreath to block. It slid straight through the Hydro Pump, and hit Salamence in the head. However the dragon pokémon flew on, through the punishing attack, and slashed Charizard with a Dragon Claw.

"Hydro Pump again!" James said, and Salamence let the powerful stream of water loose, which hit Charizard from close range. The flame pokémon fell backward, toward the water, and Salamence swooped down and grabbed it, before struggling to stay airborne while they flew to the beach. This battle was over. James had won.

He had a Salamence.

"Okay," James had said "How would I know that I'm at that… level?"

"_Because Shelgon would have evolved."_

Palmer was going down.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31 – James Vs Palmer, the rematch

James had an appointment with Palmer. The gym leader was expecting him; his pokémon would all be at full health. James and Aria, outside the gym in Petalburg, stopped. James checked that his pokémon were at his belt – as he had done countless times that morning – and breathed deeply, before stepping into the air-conditioned gym. The person at the desk directed them into the area, where they found Palmer and the umpire waiting.

"Here he is," Palmer said, "You ready for real this time?"

"Yea," James told him, "And this time I'm gona get that badge."

"Confidence can be good, unless your over confident." Palmer smiled.

"Don't worry bout that," James said. Palmer laughed.

"Relax," The gym leader advised, "just have fun, you can't win if your too nervous to make decisions."

"If both trainers are ready?" The umpire asked. James took the hint and walked to his trainers square. Aria took a seat in the grandstands. The arena – standard size with a concrete floor – had a huge ceiling, which was usual, and a roof that was made of segments. Palmer, on his way to his square, punched a button on the wall, and a few moments later the ceiling started to slowly fold away. James simply stared for a moment, before remembering what Flannery had told him, that gym leaders like to make rematches different to the original.

"This will be a three-on-three single battle," The umpire said, "The battle will be over when all of a trainer's pokémon are unable to battle. Send out your first pokémon."

"Milotic!" Palmer said, throwing out a ball. There was a flash, and the tender pokémon appeared. Last time, James had made the mistake of battling it with Sceptile, who was knocked out as a result of its Ice Beam. Since then, he had been racking his brains for a pokémon suited to fight Milotic. And he had found one.

"Crobat!" James said, throwing out his bat pokémon. As Crobat took to the stage Palmer smiled.

"You know that Milotic has Ice Beam?" He asked. James nodded. "Well then, I'm guessing that you chose Crobat because it has some advantage that outweighs the risk; this should be a good fight, hopefully."

"Are both trainers ready?" The umpire asked. They nodded.

"Begin!"

"Ice Beam." Palmer said, and Milotic shot the attack straight for Crobat. The bat pokémon fluttered out of the way, using its incredible speed, and sent an Air Cutter into the Ice Beam, making it shatter into diamond dust.

"Supersonic!" James said, and Crobat flew up and around, before sending a confusing wave of sound at Milotic. The tender pokémon shook its head, trying to clear it, as Crobat flew in.

"X-Scissor!" James said. Crobat's wing tips glowed, and when it was close enough it slashed its wings across Milotic's face. Milotic rocked backward and, at Palmer's command, shot an Ice Beam at Crobat, who barely managed to dodge.

"Dragon Pulse!" Palmer said, and Milotic let out a roar. A giant pulse of energy shot through the air – impossible to dodge – and Crobat fell to the ground.

"Ice Beam!" Palmer said, and Milotic shot the attack at Crobat, causing damage and freezing it to the ground.

"No!" James said.

"Get up close and use Hypnosis, stop it from breaking out!" Palmer said. Milotic slithered forward until it was right above Crobat, and its eyes flashed. Crobat stopped trying to escape.

"Crobat!" James yelled.

"Hydro Pump!" Palmer said, and Milotic blasted Crobat with water. "Now Ice Beam." Milotic reared back, letting out a cry, but just before it could finish Crobat off, there was the sound of breaking ice. Crobat smashed free of its restraints with an Air Cutter, and leapt at Milotic.

"Poison Fang!" James said, and Crobat planted a bite on the tender pokémon. Milotic rocked backward again, looking dizzy.

"Ice Beam, quickly!" Palmer said. Milotic shot an Ice Beam at Crobat, however it was a wild shot and Crobat easily dodged. A few seconds later, Milotic fell to the ground.

"Good on ya Crobat," James said, as his pokémon fluttered back to him to land on his head. The umpire announced that Milotic had fainted, and Palmer withdrew it.

"Your Crobat is a good pokémon," Palmer said, "But I doubt it will be able to defeat my second pokémon." They gym leader pulled out a ball and threw it into the stadium. There was a flash of light, and his Dragonite appeared.

"Yea he's right." James said, looking at the dragon type and the wide-open ceiling. "You wana stay out and watch?" Crobat gave a twittering sort of noise, which James took to mean a yes, and he allowed it to stay on his head. The pokémon had ridden on him a lot lately, and it was very light, so Crobat's presence shouldn't be a distraction.

"Salamence!" James said, throwing out his Ultra Ball. There was a flash of gold light, and his own dragon appeared, giving a roar. The arena now almost looked too small for the beasts.

"Awe, great!" Palmer said, smiling, "This should be great."

"And…Begin!" The umpire said.

"Flamethrower!" James said, and a stream of fire erupted toward Dragonite.

"Into the air!" Palmer said, pointing up. His pokémon followed his lead, flying through the ceiling. James sent Salamence after its opponent.

"Knock it down with Hydro Pump."

Salamence tore into the sky after Dragonite, and nearly caught up with it before Dragonite pulled suddenly ahead. It had been faking a top speed, trying to draw Salamence in close.

It had worked.

Dragonite blasted Salamence with a Thunder attack from close range, before slamming it on the head with an Iron Tail. Salamence shook off the second attack however, and shot a quick Hydro Pump into Dragonite's face. This distracted it just long enough for Salamence to rake it with a Dragon Claw. Dragonite backed off, before blasting Salamence with a Thunder attack again, and diving toward the arena.

"Iron Tail." Palmer told it, when Dragonite reached the floor of the arena and swooped around. Salamence, flying into the arena after Dragonite, met its steel-hard tail and smashed into the ground.

"Thunder." Palmer said, and Dragonite blasted yet another thunder attack at Salamence.

"Hydro Pump!" James said, in a moment of genius. Salamence shot a quick blast of water at Dragonite, and when Palmer's pokémon went to blast Salamence with another thunder, it was shocked instead. It fell to its knees, before rising again.

"Clever." Palmer said, "Dragonite, finish this with a Dragon Rush." Dragonite burst toward Salamence, surrounded in a blue light, and connected with enough force to knock the giant Salamence back a few metres. Crobat took briefly off from James' head as Salamence collapsed in front of them.

"You okay?" James asked. Salamence made a sort of rumbling noise. "Your gona have to do it."

"This is over, Dragonite." Palmer said, and his pokémon jumped forward in another Dragon Rush.

"Draco Meteor!" James yelled, and Salamence reared, roared, and shot orange and gold comets from its mouth, which connected with Dragonite, creating an explosion. A second later the normally invisible psychic shields that surrounded the arena flashed as both dragon pokémon collided with them. Without the shields they would have fallen on top of James. When the dust cleared, it was revealed that both pokémon had fainted.

"You've done great, obviously," Palmer said, as he withdrew Dragonite. James recalled Salamence to its ball, and whispered a word of prase before minimising it and placing the ball on his belt.

"Now are you ready for my final pokémon?" Palmer asked. "Let's go, Rhyperior!" There was a flash of light, and the huge drill pokémon appeared. James had researched Rhyperior, having found out quickly what Palmer's signature battler was. The problem with Rhyperior, was its ability, Solid Rock. Solid Rock made it so that, every time it was hit with an attack that was normally super effective, the attack did nearly nothing. Therefore, a pokémon like Sceptile would be useless. Blaze too, would be no good, as its fighting type advantage would be neutralized, and its fire attacks would be ineffective. If he wanted to hurt it, he would have to use a pokémon that stood on even ground with it.

"Espeon, lets go!" James said, throwing out his poke ball. There was a flash of red light, and the sunlight pokémon appeared. Facing up to Rhyperior, a two and a half metre pile of solid armour, Espeon didn't look like it was in for a fighting chance.

Awe well.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Rock Wrecker!" Palmer said, and a lump of rock formed in front of Rhyperior, which it shot at Espeon.

"Dodge, and use Mirror Move!" James said. Espeon leapt out of the way, before a rock ball formed from its gem, which it shot at Rhyperior. Much slower then Espeon, Rhyperior simply let the attack hit, and the rock broke apart on its armour.

"Psybeam!" James said. The attack, instead of disintegrating on the drill pokémon's armour, sizzled away at a single spot, and caused damage.

"Flamethrower!" Palmer said. His pokémon breathed out a jet of fire, which split apart on Espeon's Psybeam. Great waves of fire licked the arena, sending the temperature up releasing a puff of embers.

"Return!" James said, pointing Espeon's poke ball at it. Espeon vanished in the beam of red light, and Crobat took to the wing instead.

"Air Cutter!" James said. Crobat send a spinning blade at Rhyperior, which bounced off its armour.

"X-Scissor!" James said, and Crobat dived at Rhyperior.

"Thunderbolt." Palmer said, and Rhyperior blasted Crobat with electricity, stopping it in mid air. "Now Rock Wrecker." Rhyperior shot a ball of rock at Crobat, which caused a direct hit, and Crobat fell to the ground.

"That did nothing except waste time." Palmer told him as James withdrew his Crobat.

"I know," James said, "And now the flames have gone, and Espeon has had a chance to have a quick rest. Go!"

Espeon took to the stage once again, and readied itself.

"This time you wont be able to withdraw it." Palmer said, "Flamethrower!"

"Psychic!" James said. Espeon caught hold of the tongue of flame, turned it around, and blasted Rhyperior with it.

"Mirror Move!" James said, and Espeon summoned another burst of fire, which blasted its opponent.

"Now Psychic again." James said, and Espeon let loose a burst of mental energy, making Rhyperior rock backward.

"Ice Beam!" Palmer said.

"Psybeam!"

The two beams of energy met in the middle, and both split. Puffs of frozen air blew around the arena, while aurora-coloured lights split off and danced.

"Rock Wrecker." Palmer said. A lump of rock shot through the broken attacks and smashed into Espeon. The sunlight pokémon flew backward. Already tired from fending off Rhyperior's attacks, James could see that his pokémon was failing.

"Morning Sun, quickly!" James said.

"Ice Beam."

Just as Espeon started to absorb the sun's energy through the hole in the ceiling, the beam of cold hit. Espeon fell to its knees. That didn't matter though, he had achieved what he wanted.

Every move had been used.

"Mirror Move, on the ground in front of it!" James said. Espeon shot an Ice Beam in front of Rhyperior, freezing the ground around it in chunks of jagged ice. Rhyperior breathed a Flamethrower on it, attempting to melt the small obstacle away.

"Last Resort!" James yelled. Espeon cried, and its gem burst with a huge white hot light that surrounded it, making its body glow. Espeon charged, leapt over the ice through the Flamethrower as though it were nothing, and slammed into Rhyperior with enough force to knock it back, and knock it out.

"YES!" James said, throwing his fists into the air and cheering. Espeon ran to him and jumped into his arms. In the stands, Aria was on her feet, cheering him. Palmer, checking that Rhyperior was alright, listened to the umpire announcing his defeat, and reached into his pocket for the Balance Badge.

Only three more to go.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32 – Final Exams

"Hey mum, we're back." James said, as he and Aria walked in through the back door, "And guess what? I have the balance badge!"

"That's great honey," She said, as the two teenagers took off their shoes, which were muddy from walking through dewy grass and the by-products of a thriving Tropius farm.

"And how are you, Aria?" She asked.

"Great, how are you?" Aria asked.

"Hey, what about me?" James asked indignantly.

"Yes," His mother said, "James, you have an exam tomorrow."

"What?"

"Falkner called, wanted to know if you'd be coming in for the final exams. I said you would, so I booked you for your written exam tomorrow at nine, and your Prac at one in the afternoon."

"Thanks." James said.

"And James, would you mind going out and helping your father with the Tropius?"

"But I have an exam tomorrow!"

"So?"

"Don't I have to study?"

"Do you need to study?"

"No."

"Would you, even if you did?"

"No, but that's not the point, the point is that it's a great excuse."

"Just get out there."

The next day James teleported into Pokémon Trainers School with, as instructed, one pokémon at his belt ready for the prac exam. He recalled Gallade to its ball and walked up to the building in which the written test would begin. He mingled with the other students for a few minutes, reflecting on how none of his original friends went to the school any more. Joel hadn't been at school for months, having either gone on an adventure, or just not bothered coming in. And Wally was in Verdanturf. Lyra came in occasionally, but only to kick James' butt in a match. Speak of the devil.

"Hey James." Lyra said from behind him.

"Hey, you doing this too I guess?" James asked.

"Yea, should be ok I recon," She said, "My prac is for half past twelve, u?"

"One." James told her. At that point, they were called inside. The pair of them walked in together, but had to take a seat apart. James sat down next to a nice girl who he had battled a few times with his Carvanha in the pool, and a boy who looked like he had studied way too much, and hadn't absorbed most of it. They were sitting at computers, which were set up at an Internet page. Someone had made it so that they couldn't move to any other Internet page, or even close the window. Too much fuss, James thought; although it was probably the opposite. Doing it all on computer meant that it could be marked electronically in a second, instead of some poor sap spending hours doing it one by one. This test was going to be mainly on type match ups – simple right?

They were told to start, and did so, pressing a 'begin' button with their mouse. James had a good feeling about this test, and it was multiple choice, which he had always found easy. He looked down at the first question.

Would electric attacks be effective on a Quagsire?

That's easy; no.

Would electric attacks be effective on a Wooper?

James' mind instantly went blank. He had no idea whether Wooper was a water/ground type, or just a water type. He eventually pressed 'no', simply hoping it would be right.

are water type moves super effective on Scizor?

What? Scizor is a steel type isn't it? Course they would be super effective…right? James tentatively clicked 'yes'. The next question had every one of the types listed as a possible answer.

list all the types that can affect a Shedinja.

That's easy. James clicked fire, flying and ghost. After completing the next question, James realized that he had missed out dark types, and went back.

And so it went on. Twenty-five questions, which didn't seem like much. However each of them seemed to be some sort of trick, and James scanned through them two more times after finishing. There was another part after that though, in which you were given a battle situation, and a set of attacks for you and your opponent, and had to choose the best move to use. When James was about half way done Lyra got up to leave. After swearing under his breath, James sped up, even though there was plenty of time left. When he too stood, more then half of the original number were still at their computers.

He had a few hours before the prac test, so he Teleported home. After being questioned about the test, he went upstairs to turn on his computer. There was already an email with his score. He had answered sixty percent correctly.

What?

That was fifteen questions out of twenty-five. He looked back at the answers – both the correct ones and those he had given.

Wooper were indeed ground types.

Apparently only fire attacks were effective on Scizor.

Rock type moves hurt Shedinja, who knew?

The battle simulation – which in James' opinion didn't at all count as a simulation – had been good however, and James had scored 83%. When he looked down at the various situations and what the computer would have done, against what he had done, James saw that the computer's way was quicker, although James' was none the less effective. He had only lost a single match, which had been his Zigzagoon verses a Sudowoodo. Although, he had passed the theory part.

When he arrived at the trainers school once again for his prac exam, he went to the colosseum. Arriving there early, he waited for five minutes or so before Lyra came out.

"How ya go?" He asked.

"Ok," She told him. The prac exam, as could be expected, was a battle. "Typhlosion rammed it into a wall and bit its neck."

"Argh." James cringed. Lyra shrugged.

"Couldn't do anything else." She said, "Good luck."

Not feeling very lucky, James walked inside and shut the door behind him.

"Hey James, how ya feeling?" Falkner asked. He was leaning against the wall of the building, near the door.

"I'm okay, yea." He said.

"What pokémon are you using?" Falkner asked.

"Blaze."

"Good choice," Falkner said. "Well, send it out." There was a flash of white light, and his Blaziken appeared.

"Go, Ditto!" Falkner said, throwing out a poke ball. _Of Course_. James thought. The prac exam had to be fair for everyone, no matter what level you were on. How could one do that? Have a pokémon that changes into an exact copy of the one a trainer is using.

_Couldn't do anything else._ Lyra had said. That was true. Once Ditto had transformed into Typhlosion, it would have carried fireproof fur. All of Typhlosion's attack would have been useless. As Ditto changed in front of him, James realized that he didn't have that problem. However, he had just made Ditto very strong indeed.

"Ditto will do the battling, I wont say anything." Falkner said. "Begin when ready."

"Right." James said. The way he was thinking, it was probably better to go straight in and do it. Ditto wouldn't be used to its body; Blaze however had been sparing with Gallade for hours at a time.

"Flamethrower!" James said, and Blaze shot fire at its doppelganger. Ditto did the same, and the attacks met in the middle. Perfectly even.

"Brave Bird, straight through!" James said. Blaze ran straight through it and Ditto's fire, using its natural resistance, and hit Ditto hard with the flying type attack. Ditto took major damage and took a few steps back. Blaze crouched down and kicked Ditto's leg, making it fall backward.

"Brick Break." James said. Blaze kicked Ditto with a glowing foot. Blaze's wrists burst with fire, and it picked up its copy, span it around, and threw it into the wall. With that, Ditto lost its hold on Blaze's form.

"Good work James." Falkner said, recalling Ditto. "Full marks."

"Awesome!" James said. Falkner dropped Ditto's ball into his left pocket, before pulling out a fresh one from his right. "Send in the next person, okay? Might as well move them along."

"Kay," James said, walking out, "By the way, when are we going to have a battle for my gym badge?" Falkner thought about it.

"What about this Friday? Nothing is booked as far as I can remember, I can book the colosseum."

"Cool," James said, walking out.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33 – The fight against Falkner.

On the whole, James was looking forward to his battle with Falkner. However, there was a large part of him the wanted it to never happen. This wasn't like all the other battles – this was in a colosseum, filled with the entire battle class and James' parents, who had already told him that they would be there. Aria would be watching, but he was used to that. Lyra, for reasons James couldn't fathom, had gone away again, so at least that was one less spectator.

On the morning in question, he woke early. The sun hadn't even risen yet. For a while he tried going back to sleep; however he never managed it. Eventually, he decided to go outside. The beach always looked nice at sunrise. He walked quietly through the house, wearing the clothes he had worn the previous day, and put on his shoes. His pokémon were probably sleeping somewhere in the rainforest – some like Sceptile and Politoed liked to travel very deep before going to sleep. They usually came back when they woke, however they wouldn't do that for quite a while. Just as he was contemplating having to walk to the beach however – as always, he was feeling lazy – his mind touched upon Gallade, and the blade pokémon appeared at his side. James laid his hand on his pokémon's shoulder.

"Never have battled with you in a gym, have I?" He asked it. Gallade shook its head. They were standing close to the shallow pond, and even those few words must have been enough to wake a light sleeper, because a second later Carvanha immerged. Another pokémon he had never battled with. The problem with that was that Carvanha couldn't fight unless there was water available. Ah well. However, as it was awake, it might as well go with them to the beach. Gallade sensed what James wanted – it always had that ability, although on a silent morning it was definitely stronger. In the space of a blink, they had gone from his home to the beach.

Carvanha flopped about on the sand for a second, before a wave picked it up and carried it into the ocean. James had started to take it out here more and more of late. A little down the beach there was a lagoon, surrounded by rocks and only about half a metre deep. The perfect training ground for Carvanha. James usually made it battle Politoed, however he had witnessed the savage pokémon fighting an intense match with, and nearly beating, Blaze. Although it couldn't fight without water, when it was using the advantage that the field gave it, the pokémon was unstoppable.

Gallade had gone off to wherever it went all the time, and Carvanha was swimming along in water which was much too cold for James' liking. So he wandered down the beach, kicking at shells and other trash. He started thinking about the first group of pokémon that he had owned, that could truly be called a team. A party. Grovyle, Carvanha, Kirlia, Manectric, Duskull, and Eevee, although it never actually battled. Now Carvanha was routinely forgotten, Gallade seemed to be nothing more then a transport, and Manectric was still strong, however James was finding that he was leaving it behind to lie on the rug more and more. James hardly ever trained with Dusknoir anymore, let alone battle with it. And Eevee didn't even follow him about as it used to, as Umbreon grew distressed if it was separated from Eevee, and he often couldn't waste the spot on his belt. The only member of his original team that was still in use was Sceptile, although he hadn't had a serious battle in a while either. Now his team was made of Sceptile, Blaze, Espeon, Crobat, Salamence and then whomever James felt like bringing on the day.

Coming round a corner, James looked up and spotted a group of Swampert. He hadn't seen them here since Falkner had brought them, although he had been checking regularly. Perhaps it had something to do with the full moon. He reached into his pocket for a spare poke ball, getting ready to try and capture one, however he then realized that he had none. Ah well. Another day, he supposed. As he stood and watched the group, James came to a decision. He had been working out a strategy since his battle with Falkner had been booked, and it involved everything from Blaze's jumping ability to Crobat's poison and Salamence's wings. However, now he was thinking that maybe, his original team deserved a go.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's match between the gym leader Falkner, and the challenger James Millar." James and Falkner walked out to the centre of the arena, while the half-full colosseum filled with cheers. James didn't know whether he expected a larger crowd, however he seemed somehow disheartened by the turnout. As he walked, his hands grew sweaty, and he noticed his parents in the first row on the side opposite to where he would be standing. As James and Falkner shook hands, he whispered something, although it wasn't necessary as their microphones weren't on.

"Do ya mind if we swap sides?" He asked.

"What? You want your parents to distract me?" The gym leader smiled, before walking past him. James took his place in the other trainer box, happy that he now couldn't catch the eye of his folks.

"This battle will take place in two parts. The first part will be a two-on-two battle, in which both sides will be able to use a maximum of three pokémon. When all three of one trainers pokémon are unable to battle, the round is over. The second part is a one-on-one battle with three pokémon each. No pokémon from the last round can be used in this one – only three fresh pokémon from each trainer. The challenger must win _both_ rounds for them to win the battle. Are both trainers ready?" They both nodded. "Send out your pokémon."

"Skarmory, Swellow, lets go!" Falkner said, throwing out his pokémon.

"Dusknoir, Gallade!" James said, as his pokémon took the stage.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Quick Attack, Steel Wing!" Falkner said, before James could speak, and his pokémon rushed forward. Dusknoir sunk into the ground, while Gallade Teleported, appearing on the opposite side of the field.

"Psycho Cut!" James said. Gallade's blades extended, as it slashed the air, releasing a spinning attack. Falkner's pokémon dodged it, flying into the air.

"Leaf Blade!" James said, and Gallade's blades glowed green, and it jumped after them.

"Aerial Ace!" Falkner said, and both of his pokémon flew straight at Gallade. The fighting type in him couldn't handle that – if Gallade was hit, that would be it.

"Teleport!" James said, and Dusknoir appeared out of nowhere in front of Gallade. It raised its arms, and let loose a Blizzard, catching both pokémon. Super effective. James laughed in triumph, before realizing that the battle was nowhere near over. Swellow went down, plummeting toward earth before pulling up to skim the ground. Skarmory however was protected from an effective hit by its steel characteristics, and shrugged off the Blizzard, smashing into Dusknoir with its Steel Wing. Dusknoir fell to the ground, and Gallade used Teleport to give it a safe landing. As the reaper pokémon slid underground, Falkner called out to his armour bird pokémon to use Spikes. Skarmory flew around, shaking its wings and releasing a shower of barbs. If Dusknoir came above ground it would be hurt. Gallade too, couldn't move or risk being hit. It couldn't even Teleport. Swellow, flying again but obviously hurt by the Blizzard, was readying itself for an attack run.

"Swellow, use Endeavor!" Falkner said, and his pokémon flew down, skimmed across the ground, and its body started to emit a rainbow aura.

"Psycho Cut!" James said, and Gallade shot a blade of psychic energy straight at the oncoming Swellow. Instead of attempting to dodge it, Swellow flew straight into it, head on, and was knocked backward, onto the ground and onto the Spikes.

"Yea!" James said.

"Not yet, James," Falkner said. Swellow struggled to its feet, and launched itself into the air once again.

"Again!" James said, and Gallade shot another Psycho Cut at Swellow, which scored another direct hit.

Swellow burst straight through it.

James could have kicked itself.

Endeavor grew more powerful the more the user had been hurt – and he had just increased the power by a great amount.

"Teleport!" James said, and Gallade disappeared just as Swellow connected, disappearing with minimal damage. It reappeared a few metres to the side, and instantly flinched as it stood down on Spikes. At that moment, Skarmory gave a shriek, and both trainers remembered this was a double battle.

"Aerial Ace!" Falkner said, and Skarmory swooped down.

"Shadow Streak!" James said, and from the face on its belly, darkness spewed forth. It enveloped Skarmory, making the pokémon stop its attack and battle franticly with the air.

"Target Skarmory, use Psycho Cut!" James told Gallade, who shot the attack instantly. It connected with Skarmory's wing, and caused the pokémon to fall to the ground.

"Close Combat!" James said, and Gallade used Teleport, reaching Skarmory without treading on too many Spikes. Retracting its blades, it punched Skarmory in the face, before grabbing a wing and pulling it over his head, and slamming it into the spiked ground, knocking it out.

"Skarmory return!" Falkner said, before pulling out a new ball, "Go Noctowl!" The owl pokémon took to the stage. Now, James was sure he had the advantage. Both pokémon would be hurt immensely by Blizzard, and Swellow was nearing its end.

"Endeavor, Swellow, Noctowl use Sky Attack!" Both pokémon started to release an aura, before swooping down on James' pokémon – Swellow on Gallade, Noctowl on Dusknoir.

"Blizzard." James said, and Dusknoir shot a blast of icy wind at the owl pokémon. Gallade simply Teleported slightly to the side and Swellow slammed into the ground. It was too tired to use its normally sharp agility.

"Psycho Cut!" James said. Gallade crossed its blades and sent two blasts of psychic energy into Swellow, who couldn't stand any more.

"Swellow is unable to battle," The umpire called. When Falkner had recalled it, the umpire asked if he was ready, before resuming the match.

"Extrasensory!" Falkner said, before James could do anything. Noctowl's eyes flashed, and instantly an invisible power had gripped both of his pokémon. They both writhed with pain.

"Blizzard!" James said, however Dusknoir did nothing but collapse.

"Teleport!" James tried.

After a second Gallade responded.

It appeared in the sky next to Noctowl and slashed it with a Leaf Blade across the wing. The Extrasensory stopped instantly, and Noctowl fells several feet.

"Sky Attack!" Falkner said.

"Stop it!" James said, and Dusknoir shot a bunch of Will-O-Wisps at it, which burst around it, distracting the pokémon. Gallade then reappeared on the ground beneath it, and shot a Psycho Cut up at it, which connected, and knocked it out. The owl pokémon fell, and Gallade caught it. As it laid his ex-opponent on the ground, James couldn't help but grinning.

He had won the first round.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34 – the fight against Falkner part 2

James and his Politoed.

Falkner and his Dodrio.

And with the yell of the umpire, the second half began.

"BubbleBeam!" James said, and his pokémon shot a collum of bubbles at Dodrio.

"Tri Attack!" Falkner said, and Dodrio's three heads each shot a ball of energy, which formed into a triangle and cut roughly through the frog pokémon's attack. Politoed jumped backward as the Tri Attack smashed into the ground.

"Hyper Voice!" James said, and Politoed let out a shriek, which caused Dodrio and most of the crowd to writhe with pain and cover their ears.

"Bounce!" James then told it, and Politoed leapt for Dodrio, still distracted by Politoed's last attack. The frog pokémon leapt up and collided against Dodrio's body, fell back to the ground and bounced back up, hitting on of its heads before landing on the ground again, and spurting out a BubbleBeam, which also it Dodrio in the face.

"Uproar." Falkner said, and suddenly Dodrio's three heads were all screaming. Politoed, obviously not minding the noise, wobbled backward and cupped its hand on its head, then wiggled with pretend pain. A few spectators laughed. The sound made Politoed look up at them, and then hop over to them, completely ignoring Dodrio, which was still occupying itself with its Uproar. As the frog pokémon hopped over, it collided with the psychic shield that protected the crowd, and fell back. A few more members laughed, and James joined them, as Politoed hopped back onto its feet and started to examine the shield. Neither trainer now seemed interested in battling, but instead were both looking at James' pokémon, wondering what it would do next.

Politoed did not disappoint.

It jumped up, onto the shield, which was obviously solid enough to support it, and started to climb. As it hopped up the side, it became aware that everyone's attention was on it alone. It paused to wave to a few people at random, before continuing. After about twenty metres, it came to a stop, before jumping off. Politoed fell, and one or two people yelled out in shock. However Politoed landed easily on its hind legs and raised its arms above its head, smiling broadly, before falling over backward.

By this point Dodrio had calmed down, and walked over to Politoed, who jumped into a sitting position to watch it approach. Dodrio stopped when it was standing above the frog pokémon, and then nudged its opponent with a foot. Politoed flopped over again, before blasting Dodrio with a BubbleBeam to the face – all three of them got a shot. Dodrio jumped backward, startled, and Politoed jumped after it, landing on its back. Spitting out its long tongue, which it wrapped around the middle head, Politoed grasped the other two with its hands, and kicked Dodrio with both feet. The Dodrio screamed, and sprinted in a random direction, while Politoed yelled from its back. The audience laughed, as did James. Falkner wasn't laughing, but from the look on his face he obviously found it highly amusing. Politoed continued to ride upon Dodrio until the triple bird pokémon smashed into a psychic wall, knocking itself out.

"Um…Dodrio is unable to battle." The umpire said, while Politoed jumped onto Dodrio and started to flex invisible muscles in its arms. When James called it however, Politoed looked up, then bounced over and jumped into its trainer's arms.

"You wana stay in for another round?" James asked it. After all, the pokémon had hardly been hurt. The frog pokémon shrugged, so James put it down beside him, and decided that he would make his decision based on Falkner's next choice.

"Pelipper!" Falkner said, throwing out his next fighter.

"Manectric!" James said. The two pokémon took the stage.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Charge!" James said, and sparks began to fly. However, before Manectric could become sufficiently charged to battle, it had to move to avoid an Ice Beam.

"Charge again." James said, knowing that without charging, Manectric's arthritis would end this. However again, Pelipper sent an Ice Beam their way. It flew closer.

"Thunderbolt!" James said, and Manectric shot a bolt of lightning at Pelipper. Once again, because it wasn't charged, the Thunderbolt wasn't effective, and Pelipper blocked it with an Ice Beam.

"Keep trying to Charge." James told it, and once again sparks flashed.

"Steel Wing." Falkner said, and Pelipper flew straight at Manectric.

"Spark!" James said, and Manectric positioned itself to take the hit head on. Pelipper however turned slightly, so that it was flying at an angle, and its Steel Wing scraped the ground. Pelipper's other Steel Wing smashed into Manectric, and the electricity Manectric was discharging travelled through Pelipper, through its grounded other wing, and into the floor. Pelipper wasn't harmed, Manectric was hurt.

Pelipper flew around, and Manectric attempted to Charge again, although at this point it was becoming obvious that the battle was over.

"Water Gun!" Falkner said, and Pelipper spurted water at Manectric, which electrocuted it, due to the sparks. Manectric collapsed. James could see the umpire looking, trying to see whether Manectric was fit to battle. However it gritted its teeth and struggled to its feet. James however, could see that it was about to pass out, and didn't want it to be hurt any more. He reached into his pocket for its poke ball, but at that moment Manectric caught his eye. James dropped the ball into his pocket. Politoed, from beside him, yelled its team mate on. Manectric looked at Pelipper, who was flying toward it with a Steel Wing dragging the ground. Manectric expelled a collection of sparks, Charged quickly, before it suddenly flashed with electricity. Bolts of lighting shot in all directions, and the startled Pelipper flapped into the air, before getting hit by a wave of electricity released from Manectric like a shock wave.

Pelipper fell to the ground, knocked out by the sheer power of the Discharge. Now that its battle was over, Manectric lay down on the ground, in a sphinx position, and put its head down. It hadn't fainted, but it was clear that it wouldn't battle again today.

As the umpire announced that neither pokémon could fight, the trainers withdrew them. Falkner revealed that his final pokémon would be Staraptor.

"Rampardos!" James said, throwing out his rock type. The two large, heavy built pokémon squared up to one another.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Head Smash!" James said, and Rampardos charged.

"Fly up and use Brave Bird!" Falkner said. Staraptor flew out of the way of Rampardos, before swooping back down, glowing red and blue.

"Zen Headbutt!" James said. Head Smash was much more powerful then Zen Headbutt, however it needed a good run up, which he was unable to get now. Rampardos smashed its head into Staraptor, and knocked the predator pokémon back.

Rampardos had the highest attack stat of all pokémon.

Staraptor flew back up, responding to Falkner's command and performing a Quick Attack.

"Use Zen Headbutt again." James said. It had worked before. However this time Staraptor flashed past, whacking Rampardos with its wing as it flew. Rampardos roared with frustration, before swinging out its tail and knocking Staraptor down, mid flight.

"Rock Climb!" James said. The head butt pokémon ran up to Staraptor and scrapped the claws on its left foot down the bird's body, then the right foot, then the left…

"Close Combat!" Falkner said, and Staraptor broke free and lashed out with its talons, sinking them deep into Rampardos' stomach, before pecking it, and attempting to generally tear Rampardos apart.

"Flamethrower!" James said. Not aiming in the slightest, Rampardos simply spewed fire, however it had the desired effect. Staraptor flew backward, shook itself, before Falkner called it to attack again.

"U-turn!" Falkner said, and Staraptor flew forward.

"Head Smash!" James called, and Rampardos roared, ripped up the ground with its foot, and charged.

"Dodge!" Falkner said, and Staraptor flew past its opponent. Unable to slow down now it was at full pelt, Rampardos smashed into the psychic shields, falling back. The umpire raised his flag to signal defeat, when Rampardos got suddenly to its feet again. It wobbled.

"Close Combat!" Falkner said, clearly hoping to catch Rampardos with a super effective hit while it was confused.

"Flamethrower!" James said. Not knowing where to aim, The head butt pokémon simply spewed out flames again, which curved up into the air. Staraptor broke off the attack run, and flapped around the lines of fire.

"Return!" James said, pointing his poke ball at Rampardos. The red light enveloped it, and sucked the pokémon back inside.

"Politoed, BubbleBeam!" James said, pointing at Staraptor, and the frog pokémon jumped onto the stadium once more, shooting a jet of bubbled through the fire at Staraptor, and scoring a direct hit.

"Hyper Voice!" James told it next, and Politoed cried, distracting Staraptor and preventing it from hearing Falkner's command.

"And finish with bounce!" James said. Politoed jumped high into the air, came down on Staraptor, and the force and shock of the impact caused the predator pokémon's wings to fold. It fell to the ground.

The entire stadium erupted in noise. Everyone was clapping and cheering as the umpire held up a blue flag, meaning that James had won. No one could hear him though, the microphones were drowned out. James ran out, onto the pitch, and Politoed jumped into his arms. James swung it around and nearly fell over, but recovered himself.

"James," Falkner said, from behind him. James turned around to see the gym leader smiling. "You got in front quickly and stayed there, good job," He said, holding out his badge. James took it, a huge grin on his face.

"What you going to do now?" The gym leader asked.

"I'm going to go to the beach," James told him, instantly.

"Not the answer I expected." Falkner admitted.

"All business, I sware."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – The beach

"Leaf Blade!" James yelled. Sceptile's leaves glowed green, became razor sharp, and it crossed them in front of itself, blocking the vicious Ice Beam that had nearly dealt a punishing blow. They were at the beach, in the surf to be exact. The tide was coming in, and waves were rolling up onto the shore, buffeting James, Sceptile, and the wild Swampert he was attempting to capture. Grass attacks had a massive advantage against a water/ground type, and James had expected to win fairly easily. However it was as though this Swampert – a large male which had been chosen because of its strength – had been professionally trained. When Sceptile started to leap forward to attack, Swampert would fend it off with an Ice Beam. When Sceptile was struggling with the waves, Swampert would shoot a Muddy Water attack at its feet, and more waves rocked them, preventing James and his pokémon from regaining their footing. On the odd occasion that Sceptile did indeed manage to get to Swampert, the massive pokémon would smash the grass type with a Hammer Arm. At least battling in the water prevented its Earthquake attack from working. However, due to the fact that it knew Muddy Water – Swampert's special attack – it was free to learn an extra move, and had surprised Politoed with a Take Down, knocking it out.

However, James had a secret weapon, which he hoped would help.

"Carvanha, Bite!" He said. The tiny savage pokémon leapt from the water near Swampert, where it had been waiting quietly, and Bit down onto the mud fish pokémon's hand. Swampert swung it about, but Carvanha hung on.

"Sceptile, Leaf Storm!" James said. Sceptile cried out, and from its tail hundreds of leaves shot like bullets, toward Swampert. The water type dived beneath the waves, dodging the attack.

"Argh!" James yelled, "Ice Fang!" Carvanha, still hanging on, started to breath out cold air into the wound. However, then Swampert held his arm out, and blasted Carvanha with an Ice Beam, which, understandably, made it, let go. Then it was gone, swimming out to see so fast that Sceptile hadn't a hope of stopping it.

"Lets go back to the house." James said.

"Back in his kitchen, James put Carvanha in a bucket of water and plonked it on the sink. He then went to the fridge and grabbed a package from the butcher. Wrapped up in paper were some strips of ham. He cut these up and dropped them into the bucket. Carvanha was the first pokémon he had ever captured, yet it had stayed the same while the rest of his team grew stronger.

Well, that wasn't right. Carvanha had grown stronger. It had turned its feeble Water Gun into a much more suitable Aqua Jet, which suited Carvanha's more physical approach. But it hadn't evolved. James never forced his pokémon to become stronger, or to evolve, however all his other pokémon seemed to have done that if it was possible, but not his savage pokémon.

"Oi James, guess who's here," Aria said, coming into the kitchen, followed by Brendan.

"Hey mate," James said, "Why you here this time? Had a sudden urge to battle me again?"

"Actually," Brendan said, "I was invited this time – heard you are having some trouble catching a Swampert."

"Aria told you, didn't she?" James said.

"Yep, she also suggested that I take a wack at it." Brendan told him, "She thinks that the competitive drive in you will force you to finally catch it then."

"Right." James said, "Well I still haven't showered from last time, so do you want to go now then?"

"Sure," Brendan said, "I'll wait outside."

"Hey Aria," James said, "Why the heck did you invite him?"

"Like he said," Aria told him, "Your competitive, so if someone else is trying to capture the Swampert too, then you're sure to get it."

"Either that, or he'll capture it," James said, "And he'll have yet another hugely powerful pokémon on his team."

"Oh yea," Aria said, smiling in a way that made it plan she already knew this, "Well, good luck."

"Rhyperior, use Poison Jab!" Brendan said. Rhyperior, out in the water and making full use of its Solid Rock ability, went to punch the wild Swampert with its poisoned arm. The mud fish pokémon grabbed Rhyperior's arm, and flipped it over. As Rhyperior tried to get back on its feet, hindered by the shifting sand underfoot and the constant waves, Swampert smashed a Hammer Arm attack down upon it.

"Return!" Brendan said, recalling Rhyperior to its ball. "That Swampert is strong," He said to Aria, "Where's James, its his turn now." Aria shrugged, but then something in the sky made he stop. Brendan looked around too.

James flew on top of Salamence, followed by his Tropius. They flew across the sun, before heading toward the water. They flew high over the surf, and suddenly two red lights shot down into the sea. James had released some pokémon. Politoed burst from the water with a Bounce attack, smashing its feet into Swampert's face. Swampert took a step back in surprise, before being hit from behind by Carvanha's Aqua Jet. These attacks seemingly did nothing but distract the mud fish pokémon, however they did something else.

They prevented it from escaping.

"Solar Beam!" James said, and Tropius absorbed sunlight almost instantly, due to it being so high up, and blasted it down upon Swampert. The mud fish pokémon tried to cover itself with its arms, however the Solar Beam ripped apart the water, casting a spray high into the air, and blasted Swampert with a doubly super effective hit. If one wanted to do the math, Solar Beam had a power of 120. Times that by four, and Swampert was being hit by an attack with the power of 480.

Brutal.

"Now pick it up!" James said. Salamence flew down after the Solar Beam had ended and grabbed hold of Swampert, flying it to the sand. Salamence dropped it, before flying a few metres away and landing itself. Swampert, hurt but still battle worthy, stood up on two legs to roar, before going down onto four.

"Its gonna use Ice Beam," James said, seeing Swampert start getting ready to start the attack, "Fly up!" Salamence jumped into the air, just avoiding the lightning fast Ice Beam.

"Hydro Pump!" James said, and Salamence blasted Swampert with water. James reached inside his pocket, and brought out a special type of ball which he had seen at the shops the other day, and had instantly known that it was perfect for Swampert. The Dive Ball, which works better on water types.

"Go!" James said, throwing the enlarged ball at Swampert. It made contact, and Swampert disappeared in a flash of blue light. The ball landed on the sand, flashed for a moment, before falling still.

"Yea!" James said, running to pick up the ball.

"Good on ya!" Aria screamed excitedly.

"Great work," Brendan said, walking up to him, "_Now_ I want to battle you."

"Go Swampert!" James said, throwing out his Dive Ball. His newest pokémon appeared in a flash of blue light.

"Rhyperior!" Brendan said, sending out his star battler.

"Swampert beat Rhyperior before, why are you battling with it?" James asked.

"It didn't win, I recalled Rhyperior before Swampert could hurt it, and this time I know what it might do."

"Whatever," James said, hoping very much that he would be able to win.

"Okay start." Aria said.

"Rock Wrecker!" Brendan said. Rhyperior shot a bolder at Swampert.

_Lets try something different_, James thought, "Catch it Swampert!" The mud fish pokémon rose onto its hind legs and caught the lump of rock on its chest. "Now throw it back!" Swampert pegged the bolder back at Rhyperior in an overarm throw, and managed to hit the drill pokémon in the face, knocking it over backward.

"Hammer Arm!" James said, and Swampert ran forward, before smashing its arm down upon Rhyperior's belly.

"Poison Jab!" Brendan said. Rhyperior quickly jabbed Swampert with one of its toxic arms, which made Swampert back off. However Poison moves weren't very effective on ground types.

"Earthquake!" James said. Swampert smashed its hind legs down upon the sand, which let loose a shockwave, spraying out sand and smashing into Rhyperior. However, despite it being a powerful move and super effective against rock types, Rhyperior shrugged it off.

That stupid Solid Rock ability again.

"Horn Drill!" Brendan said, and Rhyperior ran forward, its horn spinning.

_Oh no, is that a one hit KO attack? Or is it Mega Horn? _James thought.

"Hammer Arm!" James said, and Swampert ran forward. The two giants connected, and Swampert was knocked backward, passing out on the sand.

"Better luck next time," Brendan said, recalling Rhyperior. James was crestfallen. That stupid ability, James was sick of it. If only there was a way around it. Suddenly his eyes widened.

There was a way around Solid Rock.

And it was available to him.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36 – a return to Rustboro

About a week after capturing Swampert, James and the mud fish pokémon were becoming a very good team. Physically, it was almost as strong as Blaze, however its Hammer Arm, swung with full force and with its weight behind it, could beat Blaze's Brick Break. It wasn't particularly fast, however it could resist most attacks as long as they weren't of the grass type. Swampert's attacks were powerful – Ice Beam was strong and fast, Hammer Arm was a brutal attack for when the opponent came too close, Muddy Water was almost impossible for the opponent to dodge, and Earthquake was its most powerful move and just as hard to avoid. Take Down however, was a weak link. Not as powerful as its other moves, it also caused recoil damage, and was relatively easy to dodge. James, after using Sceptile's Detect to great effect, developed the idea to teach Swampert how to use its own brand of evading move, Protect.

That was why, one afternoon, he was inside the pokémon trainers' shop in the city. James liked this shop very much, and thought it was something special. There were stands full of potions, revives, status healers, and other pokémon health restorers, and others that were filled with books, some of which contained training tips, others just long lists of pokémon varieties. On one wall there was a display of poke balls. Every different type was there, as well as descriptions on what each did. They went from the basic Poke Ball – ten dollars – to the Ultra Ball – forty dollars. There were also the other varieties, such as the Dusk Balls, which cost fifty. James went past these, to another wall, which displayed DVDs. There were one hundred different ones, each of which there was a few copies. Well, that would be the case in a perfect world. In reality, the disks for Hyper Beam and Giga Impact were overflowing into the places on either side, while there was only a single disk for the move Embargo.

James couldn't find Protect.

He went to the computer next to the display and searched for it. No, Protect was not there. There was, however, a Protect DVD in Lilycove, Petalburg, and Rustboro.

"So yea, I'm gonna be gone, probably just for a few hours but maybe til tomorrow or whenever, I don't know," James told his mum when he had returned home.

"Where we going?" Aria appeared.

"Rustboro." James told her.

"You already have that badge." Aria said.

"I need to go there for a TM." He told her, "And I'm friends with the gym leader."

"You are?" She asked.

"Yea sure, I traded one of the Tropius for Rampardos."

"Did you by any chance tell her that Tropius was one of many?" Aria asked. James stopped.

"Don't know." He said, before running upstairs. "I'm not taking a backpack, just my wallet and some pokémon."

"Oh, which ones?" Aria asked.

"Um, I don't know," James said from his room, "Rampardos, so she can see it again. Eevee, cause she always liked it, and that means that of course I have to take Umbreon, cause it never likes being apart from Eevee." From somewhere in the house Manectric gave a bark, and Eevee appeared a second later. It ran into James' room and he picked it up.

"Stop annoying Manectric will ya?" He asked it. Eevee purred and James put it up on his shoulder.

"So that's three," Aria told him.

"For the other three," James said, "I need Gallade, cause otherwise I cant get there. Or maybe I can just get it to drop us off? Anyway, if that happens then I'll take Sceptile, Blaze and Swampert."

"What a surprise," Aria told him.

"Your just annoyed cause Swampert beat Flygon in a battle," James told her.

"Doesn't count, Swampert didn't win," She said.

"He smashed Flygon into the ground, I think that counts."

"You know," His mother pipped up, "I think you should consider taking your bags and staying the whole week."

James and Aria, in Rustboro, wandered down the streets. James was attempting to remember the way to the pokémon trainers school, or to Devon, where he had a chance of finding Roxanne or Steven, respectably James had tried to put Eevee in its poke ball, however the evolution pokémon wanted no part in it, and was now wandering along beside them, being tailed by Umbreon, who flashed as stranger's came too close. After a while, and after looking at a map of the city, they located the pokémon trainers school, of which the gym was connected. They tried that first. It was designed very similarly to Fortree's colosseum, which also acted as the gym, and the receptionist told James and Aria that Roxanne was battling someone at the moment, however they were welcome to go and sit in the completely empty stands.

They arrived just in time to see her Golem roll over a Swalot.

"Roxanne is the winner!" The umpire announced. The challenger recalled his pokémon, shook hands with the gym leader, and left. It was then that Roxanne noticed them.

"James!" She said, coming over.

"Hey Roxanne, what's up?" He said.

"What you doing here?" She asked him.

"I need something from the shops here." James said. Roxanne looked slightly disheartened. "Hey," He said, "Do you want to have another battle? That is, if you can put up a fight-"

"I'll smash you this time," Roxanne told him.

"Cool," James smiled, "Oh, and this is Aria."

"Hey," She said.

"We don't need an umpire this time," Roxanne told her referee, "You can go, this battles only for fun."

"I already have the badge," James said, smiling.

"Your just lucky that we aren't playing for it again." Roxanne said.

"Sure, whatever," James told her, before pulling out a poke ball. He enlarged it, before pressing the button again. It snapped open in his hand, and red light spilled out of it. Sceptile appeared in front of him.

"Hm, in the flesh." Roxanne said. She had of course seen his photos on facebook, although she hadn't seen James' actual pokémon since before it evolved.

"Go Tropius!" Roxanne said, and the pokémon that he traded to her appeared. James and Roxanne were standing in the trainer boxes at either end of the arena. Aria was in the stands.

"You want to go first?" James asked.

"How sweet," Roxanne said, "Bullet Seed!" Tropius spat forth a barrage of Bullet Seed, which shot across the stadium.

"Detect." James said. Sceptile moved its head, dodging the attack completely.

"Stomp!" Roxanne called. Tropius launched itself into the air, flew at Sceptile, and then folded away its wings. It plummeted toward the ground, but again Sceptile dodged, stepping to the side.

"Leaf Blade!" James said.

"You two!" Roxanne called. Both pokémon slashed out, and both attacks were caught on the other. Sceptile held back the fruit pokémon for a moment, before jumping away, hitting Tropius with its tail and jumping to the side.

"Bullet Seed!" Roxanne shouted.

"Detect!" James said, and Sceptile jumped to the right and span in mid air, dodging every single seed.

"Magical Leaf!" Roxanne called out. Tropius called out and a group of multicoloured leaves flew into the air.

"Detect!" James told Sceptile again. The rainbow leaves suddenly shot toward Sceptile. James readied himself – Magical Leaf never misses, however Sceptile might be able to dodge using Detect. The forest pokémon leapt toward the incoming leaves, before jumping up, off the ground and over them.

"Solar Beam!" James shouted. In one split second movement Sceptile charged up sunlight and released it. James had taught it to always release the attack straight away, unless told otherwise, as it was a strong attack anyway, albeit weaker then a charged one. The Solar Beam slammed into Tropius, blowing it away.

"All right, you win again." Roxanne admitted, as Tropius picked itself up. It could probably continue battling, however trainers usually only pushed their pokémon if they were having an important battle. This was not.

"Good job as always, Sceptile." James told his forest pokémon. Sceptile gave James one of its wicked high fives.

"Where you guys staying tonight?" Roxanne asked the two of them.

"Pokémon Centre." Aria shrugged. Roxanne shook her head.

"You can stay at my place if you want."

"Cool," James said, "I gotta go to the shops first though."

"Careful," One of the assistants told him. Dr Safro hated assistants.

"I know what I'm doing." He snapped. He placed his eye on the lens of the microscope, and looked down once again at the lump of asteroid they recently had shipped from Mossdeep. They had collected the specimen and done some research on it, however the rock was impossibly hard. None of the usual tools would even put a chip in it. Steven had become curious when he heard about the stone, and decided to see whether a high powered laser would cut through it, when even x-rays and other wavelengths couldn't make it through. Dr Safro positioned the small machine to which the laser was attached, and told one of his assistants to power it up. When the tiny light came on, he started to slowly move it across the stone. As soon as it touched the side, the laser cut straight through. Safro drew back slightly, surprised that it had worked so easily. After a second he continued on, cutting straight through the centre of the asteroid with the beam. After a minute he had done it, and the two halves fell apart. Safro looked eagerly at them. It appeared that the asteroid was a sort of casing, and in either half was a strange glittering purple substance. Safro picked up a pair of tweezers and poked the substance gently. Instantly it began to swell, and both halves moved together to form one whole. Safro's hand darted away, as though it had turned into a killer bee. He smiled and looked back at the again stationary substance. Picking up the tweezers, he poked it again. This time it grew bigger, swelling until it was a large smooth purple stone about the size of a football. The sudden growth broke the laser cutter, as well as the microscope that had been slid above it. Safro slid backward on his chair, while one of his assistants quickly picked up a phone.

Steven Stone burst into the room just in time to see Safro touch the stone with the tweezers.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37 – Deoxys

The next morning, James was outside, in Roxanne's back yard, training with Swampert. Thanks to the DVD, he had taught his mud fish pokémon how to use Protect, and he had gotten the hang of it fairly well.

"Protect." James told it. Swampert cried and a shimmering green dome formed around him. Blaze, who was helping test the strength of the Protect, punched the shield, without using a specific attack. Swampert's Protect held. Blaze set its foot alight and swung it around. The Blaze Kick went straight through the protect. The green dome faded into nothingness.

"Don't worry Swampert, Its getting stronger." James told it. Swampert looked slightly happier at that, even though it wasn't entirely true. It had gotten stronger then it was the first time it had appeared, in which a simple flick from Blaze had caused it to deteriorate. However for quite a while now it had been unable to hold back an attack, and what other purpose did Protect have?

Roxanne's house was near the city, but in a calmer part of it. Only the occasional car went past on the road. The building she lived in was small, compared to James' larger country house, however it only had to fit one person most of the time. The backyard was also small, not large enough for proper training, but that wasn't necessary.

Last night had gone well, James thought. Although Aria and Roxanne didn't seem to get along perfectly for some reason, they had had fun. They ordered pizza. They watched a movie. They went on the computer and looked up James' facebook page, to show Roxanne pictures and explain them. They were planning to leave this morning, however they were in no rush.

The stone released a burst of psychic energy on contact with the tweezers. The scientists, who were closer, were all knocked off their feet. Steven, used to pokémon suddenly lashing out, braced himself against the wall. The attack took the wind out of him. The stone rose into the air, and shining particles started to collect around it. They grew out, around the base, branching off in long thin tentacles. Once particles attached themselves, they stopped glowing, and took on colours – red and blue. When it had stopped collecting particles, Deoxys turned to Steven. Its tentacles wrapped around each other and transformed into hands. It drifted closer to him, and looked into his eyes. Steven very slowly reached for Metagross' ball. Deoxys saw the movement, or sensed his intentions, and burst backward, changed at once into its attack forme. It formed a Psycho Boost in its hands, and Steven ducked and put his arms over his head. Deoxys shot the attack at the ceiling, causing the floor above them and the roof above that to explode. Deoxys rose up, through the hole it made, and out. Steven took out Skarmory's ball, and called forth his armour bird pokémon.

"We have to follow it, I don't know what it might do." Steven told his flying type, as he climbed onto it. Skarmory screeched and burst into the air after the DNA pokémon. Above the city, Deoxys was staring down at the people below him. A car honked. People started to stop on the path and stare up at Deoxys, as did people in neighbouring buildings. A flock of Taillow and Swellow flew above it, completely ignoring the psychic type and squawking to each other. Deoxys looked quickly from each of these foreign things and, to Deoxys, threats. It shouted its strange cry and formed a Psycho Boost again.

"Go!" Steven said, and Skarmory dived, but not fast enough.

Deoxys shot the Psycho boost downward, and it hit the middle of the road, which exploded, throwing cars and pedestrians.

A siren started to sound. People who were able ran from the street, there cars, and into the buildings. Those who were trapped or injured were suddenly teleported away. Deoxys, startled by the noise, flew up higher, before spotting Steven.

"Go!" Steven yelled, and Skarmory darted away to attempt to loose Deoxys in the maze of buildings. Deoxys didn't give it time though. The DNA pokémon let loose a Hyper Beam, which shot down onto the road, tearing it apart. It moved the beam across Skarmory's path, and the armour bird pokémon was sucked in. Its wing was ripped apart from the attack, and Skarmory and Steven fell.

Their first warning that something was happening was the sound of the explosion. A few seconds later a siren sounded, which rang for a while before it was drained out by the sound of something else. Roxanne turned on the TV. On it, an emergency news report showed live footage of the pokémon attacking the city.

"The pokémon has been identified as a Deoxys, the DNA pokémon," The reporter said, "It can change its forme at will, from Attack forme, what it is now, to defence, speed, and normal." At that moment two more Hyper Beams hit Deoxys in the side. The attacks pushed Deoxys into a building and caused an explosion, which Deoxys fell limply out of, smashing into the broken road.

"Yes!" Roxanne said. The camera swivelled and showed Steven, with his Aggron and Metagross. A second later the camera was obscured by some sort of attack aimed at Steven, and the video turned to static. James and Aria looked at each other. She pulled her two pokémon from her pocket.

A few minutes later they were both soaring above the city, something that is usually not allowed. However, in the circumstances, James doubted that they would mind. Roxanne had made a fuss, telling them that they wernt to go. In the end the only way they could shut her up was to tell her to come too. So they flew in formation, James on Pidgeot in front, Aria on Flygon to his left and Roxanne on Tropius to his right. Soon they could see the destruction on the road outside the wreckage of Devon. Deoxys was nowhere to be seen, however they could make out Steven on the ground, mainly because of the two pokémon that stood with him. The three of them landed on the roof of a building.

"What do we do now?" Aria asked.

"No idea." James admitted.

Hundreds of kilometres away, Samuel the collector sat on a high back chair, flanked by a shadow Suicune and a shadow Entei. Although his favourite, Raikou, was gone he still had two members of the set. This was because these two had been away when James and Aria had purified the rest of his shadow pokémon and set them free. Only these two remained now. He couldn't even make more shadow pokémon, as the machines were destroyed, and he had bought them in the first place, so he had no knowledge of the science. However, he had recently come to believe that having an army of shadow pokémon wasn't what he truly wanted.

He wanted legends.

"Sir?"

He turned around on his chair. His assistant was standing there, obviously unnerved by the unmoving beasts.

"What?"

"Something's happening in Rustboro. They're saying that a Deoxys is attacking."

Samuel thought about it for a moment.

"Fetch me a Master Ball, and a transport."

As the three of them stood on the rooftop, Deoxys suddenly shot past them, too fast to see. As it went, Pidgeot jumped into the air and squawked loudly, and a wind ruffled their hair. They ran to the edge to look down, to see that Deoxys had changed from speed forme to normal forme, and was now floating over one hundred metres up. For a moment it did nothing, but then a blue and pink aurora burst from it and rose into the air, and from it dark figures appeared.

"What are they?" Roxanne asked.

"They're Deoxys, hundreds of them." Aria said.

They were.

Hundreds of shadowy Deoxys clones were now flying down around them. A few of them swooped down to the roof where they were standing.

"They might be friendly." James said. The clone looked at them for a moment, before shooting forward.

"Bullet Seed!" Roxanne shouted. Tropius shot a barrage of seeds at the clone, and the instant the first ones hit the clone it exploded into a cloud of shimmering particles.

"That was easy." James said, slightly taken aback. From their left another suddenly immerged. It flew past them and swiped at Tropius. The fruit pokémon shot backward, spinning, and fell off the edge.

"No!" Roxanne shouted.

"Here!" James shouted, quickly climbing aboard Pidgeot's ready back. The two of them dived off the sky scraper after Tropius. Clones flew down around them, slowing Tropius' decent but readying themselves to stop James completely.

"Air Slash!" James said. Pidgeot screamed, and on the down beat it let lose two blades of wind, which cut through the clones.

"Quick Attack!" James told it, and Pidgeot shot down through the gap, grabbed Tropius in its huge talons, and deposited it on the road. Then it landed a good distance away, on a stretch of road clear from cars or debris.

"Pidgeot, you have to listen to me!" James told it. He could tell that the bird pokémon understood.

"Go, everybody!" James said.

Five flashes of light.

Sceptile, Blaze, Swampert, Umbreon and Rampardos appeared around him, forming a defensive formation.

"Get rid of as many as you can." James told his pokémon as the cloud of clones grew closer. Then they were upon him.

"Protect!" Swampert bellowed, and a green dome shield burst into existence, as though some giant had placed an upside-down bowl on him and all his pokémon. A good number of clones smacked into the shield, and were destroyed instantly. Then the others flew up and around it.

"Fan out!" James said. The shield faded, and Blaze and Rampardos instantly let loose two tongues of fire. James and Pidgeot burst through the Flamethrower attacks, and flew through a group of Deoxys. It flew above the cloud and turned back to face them.

"Gust!" James said. Pidgeot whipped up a wind with its wings, and the clones were pushed downward, becoming caught in the fire and destroyed.

Sceptile jumped, landing on the side of the building. It used Leaf Blade to break an attacking Clone, before charging up Solar Beam and firing. The attack blasted a huge hole in the attacking clones, before one of them came in from the side and hit Sceptile hard.

Rampardos shot a blast of fire at the clones, before running in at full charge. The clones swooped out of the way like strings in water and one of them collided with one of Rampardos' legs. The head butt pokémon went down, and the clones swooped in to finish it, only to be caught by Swampert's Protect. Rampardos, safe, got to its feet and roared, and Swampert roared in agreement. The Protect ended, and Swampert let loose a wave of Muddy Water around it, washing away the clones that had encircled them.

Blaze leapt high into the air, blasted a group of clones with Flamethrower, and sent out a fiery kick to one had had gotten too close. As it started to fall, it went into a Brave Bird, slicing through clones that dared to get in front of it. Approaching the ground, it flipped and smashed into the road feet first. It went down to one hand, but straightened up instantly. Out of the corner of its eye Sceptile blasted a group of clones with Solar Beam, before going down. Blaze roared and sprinted for the forest pokémon, its hand starting to glow as it readied a Brick Break. Sceptile clutched at the building as a clone flew down on it from above. As Blaze reached the building, it jumped up to Sceptile, and brought its fist up to meet Deoxys, transforming the Brick Break into a powerful Sky Uppercut.

Pidgeot and James swooped around, slashing out at clones. James had been able to catch snatches of his pokémon fighting, as well as a quick view of Aria and Roxanne fighting together. Suddenly Pidgeot was hit from behind, and it flipped over. James flew off its back, straight for the ground.

He stopped a metre or so before he made contact.

Umbreon, who had caught James using Psychic, pulled its trainer over to where it was standing, before dropping him. James landed on the road and rolled over.

"Ugh…" He muttered, "Dark Pulse!" Umbreon let loose a burst of darkness which ripped through the ranks of Deoxys. He got to his feet to face a solid wall of clones approaching them.

"Get ready," James told his dark type. He had no idea what Umbreon was preparing to do, just that it should.

The wall stopped.

The clones all started squirming in the air, before every one of them was destroyed. James looked around, confused, before seeing something that he really didn't want to see.

Samuel the collector was standing a few metres away, flanked by a Suicune and an Entei.

"You!" James said, running at the man. The two beasts suddenly jumped forward, however were knocked aside by Swampert and Sceptile. Blaze landed behind Samuel and grabbed his collar, lifting him off the ground.

"What are you doing?" James roared at him.

"Capturing a legend." Samuel said. At that moment Entei broke away from Swampert and fired a ball of flames – a Fire Blast – at Deoxys, who was in attack forme. The Fire Blast connected and exploded. Deoxys fell from the sky again, landing not so far away.

During the distraction, Samuel flicked out a pocket knife and stabbed Blaze in the arm. The Blaziken yelled with pain and dropped the human, who made a dash for Deoxys.

"Blaze!" James screamed. Blaze however seemed fine, and fire blasted from its wrists, sealing the wound shut.

"Stop him!" James told his pokémon. Blaze bent down and picked up a piece of rock about the size of an enlarged poke ball. Blaze lobbed it at Samuel, and hit the collector in the back. Samuel fell over, dropping something, which rolled away and enlarged.

A Master Ball.

James ran for it. Samuel, dazed but with a significant lead, lunged for the ball too. From behind them Umbreon shot a Shadow Ball, which made Samuel fall over again. James got to the Master Ball and picked it up. Samuel jumped to his feet and lunged for James, but the trainer threw the ball automatically.

Straight at Deoxys.

The Master Ball hit Deoxys on the arm, and the DNA pokémon disappeared in a flash of purple light. The Master Ball closed and returned to James' hand. Samuel looked at it.

"Give it to me!" He yelled.

"Deoxys!" James shouted, holding the ball up.

"Get me out of here now!" Samuel screamed to the air, suddenly terrified that James would release Deoxys upon him.

The collector disappeared.

No flash of light, just sudden absence, in the blink of an eye.

Something had Teleported him, James knew that for certain.

Suicune and Entei were gone too.

James looked down at the Master Ball in his hand.

A few days later they were allowed to leave Rustboro. It was a great relief. In the end, it was probably Steven's word that got them away. The police desperately wanted to blame someone for the destruction, and they thought James was a prime candidate. However, after the researcher who aggravated the Deoxys stone in the first pace was arrested and fined, they seemed less eagre to hold charges on James. He still had the Master Ball containing Deoxys. He hadn't let it out yet, not even for food. James was sure that Deoxys would be fine without food, and knew that worse things then starvation would happen if it was let out.

They Teleported home as usual, sending Rampardos back to the farm and exchanging it for Gallade, who sent the pair of them to James' house straight away. There was hugs, there was crying, for the whole of Hoenn – and most of the rest of the world besides – had seen on the news of what had happened to Rustboro. A large section of the city was sealed off now, and it could be years before life returned to normal there.

Later that afternoon, when the relief that James and Aria had made it back (Aria had received some tears and hugs too) James Teleported out once again, to the mountains near Lavaridge town, taking only the Master Ball.

About three quarters up the mountain, on a sort of ridge, James told Gallade that he would call it, and sent the pokémon away. He then placed the enlarged Master Ball on the ground, and took a few steps back. A second or so later, it opened and Deoxys appeared in a burst of purple light. It looked dazed and confused for a moment or two, before it took in its surroundings and came closer to James. Not once had he even felt the DNA pokémon stirring in its ball. Deoxys floated right up to it and looked him in the face. There was definite gratitude in its eyes.

"Now, I know that I caught you," James told it, "But it was only to stop that collector dude from getting you. It wasn't really fair on you. So, I'm letting you go." He paused. "You can of course stay with me if you want." Deoxys looked from James to the sky, which was darkening. The first stars were visible, due to the absence of light pollution.

Deoxys looked back to James for a few moments, as though sealing his face in its memory, before changing suddenly into speed forme, and shooting like a rocket, into space.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38 – Wallace

James arrived in Sootopolis, a shining pearl-like city built upon an island, at around ten o'clock in the morning. By that time, the sun was really starting to shine, and the light was reflecting off of the hundreds of white surfaces. Most people he past however were wearing sunglasses, and didn't seem to notice the brightness. He walked toward the gym, a dome that towered over the surrounding buildings. Aria was not with him, however by this time he had done the whole challenge-the-gym-leader thing often enough to be able to do it alone.

When he reached the gym, he was welcomed by blue walls and tinted windows, which, along with the air conditioning, gave the place a much cooler feel then the surrounding city. As he rounded the corner, he found that the front desk was not only guarded by the receptionist, but also the gym leader.

"Ah," Wallace said, "would you be James, by any chance?"

"Yep, that's me." He said.

"I am Wallace, the gym leader." He told James, "Are you ready for our battle?"

"Sure," James said, shrugging. Wallace smiled.

"You don't seem sure, and you probably aren't." Wallace said. "Most people reconsider their pokémon choices, once they get a look at the battle field. Would you like to take a peek?"

"I guess." James shrugged again. Wallace gestured for him to follow, and then guided James down the corridor. Eventually the gym leader opened a pair of doors and suddenly the arena was revealed in full.

There was no arena.

Just a sparse of deep water, that took up the area of a league-sized battlefield. Walking up to the side, James looked down. He couldn't estimate the depth of the pool.

"Twenty metres deep," Wallace told him, "And there is nothing but water, no distractions. I battle here because, unlike normal arenas where water types have disadvantages, in this arena non-water types are almost completely unable to fight." Wallace looked at James, "Would you like to reconsider your choices?"

James thought for a moment.

"Yes."

About half an hour later, James had taken his place in the trainers box, with a new team of three pokémon ready to fight. The battle would be made of 3 one-on-one elimination rounds. Both trainers would send out a pokémon. When one of the battlers was defeated, even the victor was withdrawn. James would have to win at least two battles to win the match.

"Are you ready, James?" Wallace asked him.

"I guess so." James said.

"Good," Wallace said, "Then I'll send out my pokémon first." The gym leader threw out a dive ball, and a flash of light formed into a Walrein, which raised its head above the surface of the water. James frowned. Walrein were supposedly tough to take down; although the battle rules presented a situation to him. Seeing as both the victor and the looser of this round would have to recall their pokémon at the end of it, James supposed he could send out a pokémon for which he had no use. That pokémon would take a fall, take Walrein with it, and take away a powerful battler from Wallace, without sacrificing one of James' battlers. The problem was, he would have to win both rounds after that, or else he would loose the battle.

Worth a try.

"Carvanha!" James said, throwing out the first pokémon he ever caught. The tiny savage pokémon landed next to the huge ice break pokémon, in its first battle in which the stakes were higher then a simple bit of meat reward.

At seeing Carvanha appear, Wallace looked disheartened.

"I truly thought you would be different." Wallace told James, "Do you have any idea how many trainers have tried this same tactic you are using before? Walrein is not my strongest pokémon; in fact my other two are terrific battlers."

"Are both trainers ready?" The umpire asked, standing at the side of the pool. They both nodded. "Begin!"

"Carvanha, win this and I'll give you a steak!" James shouted. Carvanha barked and shot forward in an Aqua Jet attack. The tiny fish bounced cleanly off Walrein, the ice type taking no damage at all.

"Crunch!" James said. Carvanha darted forward again and bit down upon Walrein. However, due to the huge amount of fat on the ice break pokémon, the attack was ineffective again.

Walrein hadn't even moved yet.

Wallace sighed.

"I guess we might as well finish this." He said. "Ice Ball." Walrein built up a tiny Ice Ball in its mouth and launched it at Carvanha. The savage pokémon didn't have time to dodge; however it somehow shrugged off the blow.

James trained Carvanha with food, yet he had no idea how much of a pull the treats had over the savage pokémon.

Carvanha dived down, before shooting to the surface and jumping clear of the water. In the air it glowed suddenly white, and landed back in the water with a splash much too big for its size. The waves sloshed up, glowing bright white, before falling back down and swirling around James' new Sharpedo.

"Ah," Wallace said, "So the challenge begins."

"Skull Bash!" James said. Sharpedo shot forward and bit down hard onto Walrein. This time the ice break pokémon was visibly in pain. Sharpedo rolled around in the water, gnashing at Walrein, shredding its opponent.

"Ice Ball!" Wallace said. Walrein shot an Ice Ball at Sharpedo, which knocked the brutal pokémon back.

"Again!" Wallace shouted. Walrein shot another Ice Ball at Sharpedo, which hit again, before Sharpedo dived.

"Aqua Jet!" James said. Sharpedo shot at Walrein again, and hit it hard from underneath. Walrein swum a few metres away and shot its fourth Ice Ball at Sharpedo, which missed.

James suddenly had an idea.

"Crunch!" James said, knowing that the easiest counter would be to use Walrein's fifth – and most powerful – Ice Ball attack.

"Ice Ball!" Wallace said. Walrein formed the massive ball of ice, and launched it toward the oncoming Sharpedo.

"Throw it back!" James shouted. Sharpedo jumped out of the water, bit down upon the Ice Ball, span around and threw it at Walrein. The ice smashed onto Walrein's head, knocking it out instantly.

Both pokémon were recalled back into their poke balls. James minimized his, and attached it back onto his belt, feeling a rush of pride for Sharpedo. However now he needed to concentrate, as the Umpire was already telling the trainers to send out their next fighters.

"Tentacruel!" Wallace shouted, throwing a Dive Ball into the arena. A huge jellyfish pokémon appeared, and glared down at James.

"Right." He said to himself.

"Swampert lets go!" He shouted, throwing out his mud fish pokémon. Its ground characteristics would provide a resistance against Tentacruel's poison attacks, so this fight shouldn't be too hard.

"Begin!" The umpire shouted.

"Poison Jab." Wallace said. Tentacruel burst at Swampert, and began to hammer at it with all eighty of its tentacles.

"Protect!" James shouted. A feeble shield started to form around Swampert, however before it could be properly made it was broken by a tentacle. Swampert yelled and shot an Ice Beam at Tentacruel, knocking it back.

"Now, quickly, Hammer Arm!" James shouted. Swampert burst at Tentacruel, cutting through the water, and smashed its arm down upon its opponent's dome body.

"Another Ice Beam!" James shouted. Swampert shot an Ice Beam from close range, doing major damage.

"Poison Jab!" Wallace shouted. All of Tentacruel's arms came down at once, and Swampert just managed to get a shield up in time. The tentacles bounced up and down upon the dome surrounding Swampert, however the Protect held.

"Hammer Arm!" James told Swampert. The Protect fell as Swampert brought its arm up to attack, however Tentacruel instantly held Swampert back with a barrage of Poison Jabs.

"Ice Beam!" James said.

"Hyper Beam." Wallace instructed. Tentacruel blasted Swampert with a Hyper Beam from terribly close range, blasting the mud fish pokémon back and knocking it out.

"Battle number two goes to the gym leader." The umpire announced.

"Floatzel!" Wallace said, throwing out his sea weasel pokémon.

"Tropius, lets go!" James said, throwing out the fruit pokémon. Floatzel dived under the surface, disappearing instantly, while Tropius flew up above the water. James knew that, while he couldn't see Floatzel, Tropius would be able to.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Razor Wind!" Wallace called.

"Leaf Blade!" James said. Tropius' wings turned into swords and it held them in the way of the Razor Wind, which shattered on impact.

"Whirlpool, suck it in!" Wallace said. Floatzel began to dart around the pool in a circle, and suddenly a Whirlpool was forming. Seconds later it burst free of the water and rose upward, toward Tropius, who was literarily pulled in.

"Now Aqua Jet!" Wallace shouted. Floatzel suddenly appeared as an orange blur, moving up and around the Whirlpool, heading for Tropius.

"Gust!" James said. From inside the Whirlpool, Tropius beat its wings and broke through the side of the cyclone with a burst of wind. Floatzel, halfway up, was thrown to the side and landed on the other side of the psychic shield – on the side of the pool. The shields immediately disintegrated and formed again around the trainer boxes only, having no spectators in the stands. James half expected the umpire to call a time out, however the fight continued. Although the arena was where the battle was supposed to take place, there was no rule to prevent pokémon from leaving it once they cleared the psychic shields. Otherwise flying types wouldn't be able to battle at all.

Tropius landed on the opposite side of the pool, while Floatzel and its trainer both glanced into the water. The Whirlpool exploding had removed most of the water from the pool; going back in would do more harm then good.

"Solar Beam!" James said. Tropius started to absorb sunlight.

"Crunch!" Wallace said. Floatzel darted around the side of the pool and when it reached Tropius it bit down hard on its leg, shaking hard.

"Let it go!" James said. Tropius fired the Solar Beam, and managed to aim it so that it hit Floatzel from close range and blasted it against the grandstand wall barely a metre away. It pulverized the sea weasel for a few seconds, before the Solar Beam faded and Floatzel fell down limply into the empty pool, splashing in the shallow water. There it got to its feet again.

"Razor Wind." Wallace said. Floatzel waved its tail and shot two blades of air at Tropius.

"Gust!" James said. The bull Tropius waved its wings viciously, and the Razor Winds fell short.

"Now Body Slam!" James said. Tropius flew up, before folding its wings back and free falling toward Floatzel. The sea weasel jumped out of the way of one hundred kilos falling from above, and darted around the walls of the pool.

"Solar Beam!" James shouted. Tropius charged for a second and blasted a Solar Beam ahead of Floatzel, and the sea weasel ran straight into it. The Solar Beam blasted water into the air, and it fell upon Floatzel, passed out.

"Floatzel is unable to battle; James is the winner!" The umpire announced.

"Yea!" James shouted. Tropius flew gracefully out of the pool to land softly next to him. James placed a hand on the fruit pokémon's neck.

"Good job." He said.

One more to go.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 – The last hurdle

That year, the rains came early to Fortree. They were just as strong as usual, however, and most of the inhabitants for the last week had only left their houses in cars. For James, training would take place no matter the weather, and the downpour only added to his water types' power, although his fire type Blaze could hardly set its wrists ablaze these days, and Salamence was much more, pardon the pun, sodden then usual. His grass types too, appeared to have had their fill of water, and now appeared to be out of it. Rampardos, a rock type, had taken shelter in the forest, where little water breached the thick canopy, and had refused to come out for days. Gallade, Dusknoir, Salamence and Crobat were gone, although James was certain that they would reappear as soon as he needed them. The members of his team that usually lived indoors, the Eevee family and Manectric, were relatively unfazed by the rain, as it didn't effect them, however James noticed that his electric type was walking and moving slower then usual.

"God I'm bored." James said. He was lying on the couch, Eevee asleep on his stomach, watching whatever happened to be on TV.

"Yea." Aria agreed. She was sitting on an armchair a few feet away, with Espeon in her lap. The sun pokémon was enjoying having its ears rubbed. "Hey, do ya recon it's raining in Mossdeep?" James looked at her.

"I love you." He said, getting up and placing Eevee on the couch.

"I know." She smiled.

"Now, Wally emailed me a while ago, when he battled the leader." James said, walking up the stairs to his room, "He said that his name was Will and he used psychic types." James walked into his room and pulled his backpack out from under the bed. Umbreon, who had been asleep on the matris, looked up.

"Any specific pokémon?" Aria asked.

"Yea," James said, while pulling out old clothes from the pack and chucking in new ones, "For his battle, Wally said that Will used Grumpig and Xatu."

"Got any ideas what to counter that with?" Aria asked.

"Not really, aside from the obvious." James sat down on his bed and patted his moonlight pokémon. "Besides, Wally said that he was pretty sure Will had other pokémon, cause he ran into someone on the way in or something like that. Anyway, I'm thinking its best just to go with obvious advantages."

"Like?" Aria asked.

"Umbreon, Dusknoir, I don't know, maybe Sceptile cause its just so damn cool. Dusknoir?" James waited. Usually when he said its name the reaper pokémon formed out of the air next to him. This time however, nothing happened.

"Must be off scaring someone." Aria said.

"That sucks. Gallade, you there?" This time something did happen. Gallade Teleported into his bedroom, sopping wet, and preceded to shake its arms, spraying water all over his bed. Umbreon's rings glowed angrily as a few droplets hit its fur, and James jumped back from the cold water.

"Return!" James said, fumbling for its poke ball, which was not on his belt. Gallade looked at him, before turning into red light and flying into his backpack.

"Right," James said, "So what? Wally said it was two-on-two, so Umbreon, Sceptile should do, might take Espeon as a backup though."

"My you put a lot of thought into your strategy." Aria said, sarcastically.

"Espeon will be resistant to psychic moves, being one itself, and that means that I only have to look for one pokémon out in the rain," James said, chucking in an Ultra Ball as an afterthought and zipping up his bag. "Right, lets go."

"Begin!"

"Jynx, use Lovely Kiss!" Will said.

"Dodge it!" James said, grinning as he told his pokémon to avoid being kissed. It felt as though they were playing some immature game at preschool. Umbreon jumped to the side, and ran out of reach.

"Psychic!" Will said.

"What?" James said to himself. Umbreon was a dark type; psychic attacks would do nothing. Jynx focused its energy in front of its hands, before directing it at Umbreon. A huge burst of air blasted at the moonlight pokémon, knocking it off its feet and sending it rolling across the ground.

"Double Slap!" Will said. Jynx ran forward, and raised its hand to give Umbreon a wallop, however before it could do so Umbreon followed James' advice and burst into a Double Team.

"Psychic!" James said. The copies all faded apart from one, which was a safe distance from Jynx. Umbreon's rings and eyes glowed, and Jynx was lifted off its feet and thrown against a wall.

"Psychic then Ice Punch!" Will said. Jynx threw itself forward with a Psychic, and before James could react Umbreon had received an Ice Punch. The power was so immense that Umbreon was knocked off its feet, and struggled to rise.

"Ready to give up?" Will asked.

"Never." James said, his voice calm.

"What I like to hear," The gym leader said, "Jynx use Psychic!" This time the psychic type ripped two lumps of rock from the arena ground and threw them at Umbreon. The moonlight pokémon leapt over one, landed on another, and then leapt at Jynx. Behind it, a piece of rock was flying on a collision course.

"Watch it!" James called, "Dark Pulse!" Umbreon let out a blast of shadow, and the lump of concrete was disintegrated. Jynx also caught some of the blast and was knocked off its feet.

"Shadow Ball!" James said. Umbreon walked a few steps closer to Jynx for maximum power, then shot a lump of darkness at the human shape pokémon, hitting it in the face.

"Psychic!" James said. Umbreon grabbed hold of the remaining piece of rock and threw it at Jynx, knocking it out.

"Yea!" James said.

"Jynx is unable to battle!" The umpire announced. Umbreon walked back to James and sat down beside him. James crouched down and rubbed it.

"We're getting good aren't we?" He asked it. Somewhere, a psychic pokémon picked up the pieces of concrete ripped from the arena and deposited them back into their original places, and did it so well that it was impossible to see there was ever a piece missing.

"And for my second and last pokémon," Will said, bring out a poke ball, "I Choose Slowbro!"

"Sceptile!" James said, throwing out his grass type.

"Begin!" The umpire shouted.

"Ice Beam." Will said, calmly.

"Detect!" Sceptile concentrated, then jumped to the side as the Ice Beam shot past.

"Leaf Blade now!" James said. Sceptile ran forward, and its leaves sharpened into swords.

"Curse!" Will said. The Shelder on its tail flashed. Sceptile brought its arm round, but when the blades crossed Slowbro's stomach almost nothing happened. Its defensive power had been raised drematicly.

"Ice Beam." Will said again.

"Detect!" James shouted. Sceptile jumped backward, narrowly avoiding an Ice Beam that should have made a clean hit. James thought hard. Cruse increased attack and defence, but lowered speed. Though, Sceptile was already so much faster then the hermit crab pokémon that this made little difference. However, Curse didn't protect against special attacks.

"Solar Beam!" James said. Sceptile gathered sunlight and shot a beam of it toward Slowbro.

"Psychic!" Will said. Slowbro's eyes glowed, and the beam curved away from Slowbro, smashing into the wall behind it.

"Again." Will told it. Slowbro this time lifted Sceptile into the air, preventing its escape.

"Ice Beam."

"Detect!" James shouted. From the air, Sceptile span around, narrowly avoiding the Ice Beam.

"Water Pulse!" Will said. Slowbro shot a sphere of water at Sceptile, which connected with its face, sending it into a daze.

"Ice Beam!"

This time the cruel beam connected, and it sent Sceptile flying away. The forest pokémon landed hard on the arena ground and brought up its blades, breaking apart the Ice Beam before further damage could be done.

"Quickly, Leaf Storm!" James said. Hard leaves shot out of Sceptile's tail and formed a menacing cloud which shot toward Slowbro.

"Psychic!" Will said.

"Slam, knock it up!" James shouted. Sceptile burst forward and span around. It let loose with its tail and sent it whipping straight into Slowbro's face. The leaves dispersed as Slowbro's hold on them disappeared.

"Leaf Blade!" James said. Sceptile's blades slashed up, then down Slowbro's body, before the forest pokémon span around and Slammed it with its tail again, sending it sliding into the middle of the arena.

"Solar Beam, finish it!" James said. Sceptile charged quickly and shot a huge beam of light at Slowbro again, and this time it was a direct hit.

"Slowbro is unable to battle, James and Sceptile are the winners!" The umpire said.

"YES! All eight!" James shouted, throwing his fist into the air. Sceptile, getting the wrong idea, hit his hand with a roundhouse slap that knocked his arm back down with considerable force.

"What? This is your eighth badge?" Will asked, coming forward.

"Yep," James said, grinning. Up in the grandstands, Aria was yelling something that sounded like congratulations.

"Well, good on you," Will said, handing over his badge. James took it in his hand, and felt the familiar nervous weight of the tiny metal pin as it touched his palm. Only now it represented something much more then another rung on the ladder to the pokémon league.

It was the end of the ladder.

He was there.

Gallade transported them home straight away. James' pokémon were not seriously hurt, so he saw no reason to hang around when he wanted to do nothing more then get back home and tell everybody how he now had all eight. With a flash of light, Mossdeep faded, and his rainy, windy front yard came into view.

"Hey, guys, guess what?" James yelled, running down the path to the front door. Aria ran behind him, although more to get out of the rain then anything else. The front door was wide open, and James flashed through it, not even taking off his wet and muddy shoes. Aria stopped in the entranceway, while James ran into the kitchen. His mother was not there.

"Hey mum!" He shouted, running up stairs. Neither his mum nor his dad was in any of the upstairs rooms. He ran back down stairs, intending to check outside, when Aria stopped him. She didn't say anything, it was more her manner. She was still standing in the entranceway. James stopped.

"What is it?" He asked. She glanced at the door. This time, James actually looked at it. The front door wasn't only open; it was hanging off the wall. One of its hinges had been knocked off, the lower one was barely holding. James turned around. Now he saw that the house was definitely not how it was this morning. Not only was there his muddy prints, but the lights were on, despite it being dark due to rain; there was several scorch marks on one wall, which looked like an electrical attack had been shot at them; the tv had fallen over and smashed, with bits of glass on the ground around it; the fire had burnt itself out. He walked back into the kitchen. Here too, there was hints of the destruction that had taken place.

"Mum? Dad?" He shouted again, although with none of the excitement which had recently filled his voice. There was a flash of red light, and Umbreon appeared at his side. The dark type looked around, before bounding up the stairs again. James followed it. Upstairs, Umbreon arrived at the closed door to James' room. James pushed it open. It was exactly the same as he had left it. There was no destruction here. Everything he had left was still here.

Including Eevee and Espeon. Umbreon darted toward the sun pokémon and the two rubbed along each other. Eevee ran at James, who picked it up. Eevee looked very distressed and was making small, pathetic noises. Espeon was not much better.

"Are you guys okay?" James asked softly. Espeon rubbed up against him.

"Hey James?" Aria yelled. James, still holding Eevee tenderly to his chest, went back downstairs. Aria was out the back. James headed out through the door (which was this time completely removed and lying on the grass a few metres away) to meet here. She was staring off, over the forest, which went off to one side, and out onto the far off ocean, which was visible to James' house due to its spot on the top of a hill. Usually, one could look out and see open ocean for as far as you could see. Now however, although the heavy rain limited visibility, one could plainly see the ocean starting.

Then ending.

Someone, standing a few metres away, nearly invisible in the torrential rain, spoke.

"Hello James." Said Archie.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40 – the return of Team Aqua

"What are you doing here!" James yelled at Archie.

"I came to try and save your house," The head of Team Aqua shouted, over the rain, "I failed."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked. Archie looked at her incredulously.

"I mean the bad men took his mummy and daddy and all of his little pokémon and there was nothing I could do about it." He said.

"What? Who?" Aria asked. James however wasn't listening.

"What did you do?" He yelled at Archie, making a move toward him. There was a bark, and a Mightyena leapt out of the rain, shook off its fur, then growled at James for approaching its master. There was a cry from inside the house, and James' Umbreon leapt in front of its trainer, its rings glowing, ready to fight.

"This is not necessary." Archie said, however Mightyena leapt forward anyway. Umbreon jumped straight at the larger bite pokémon, meeting it head on in the air. The two dark types fell down and slipped for a second in the rain, before Mightyena bent around and attempted to rip at Umbreon with its teeth. Umbreon gave a yelp as it tried to escape Mightyena's assult.

"Stop!" Archie commanded. Mightyena did so, instantly, and fell back to its masters side. Umbreon, its pride ruined, limped back to James, who quickly bent to examine it. Its fur was more then ruffled, and there was one or two spots where Mightyena had broken through the skin, however nothing seemed to be broken.

"Look," Archie said, before violence could erupt again, "Lets go in, out of the rain, and I'll explain everything."

"So where should I start?" Archie asked. They were seated in the ruined lounge room. Archie on one side, Mightyena sitting next to him; James and Aria on the other, with Eevee in his lap and Espeon and Umbreon flanking him.

"Why are you here," James said, "Who destroyed my house; where are my parents, and my pokémon; and why is it raining."

"Raining?" Archie asked.

"Got to have something to do with you." James told him.

"And the island," Aria said, reminding them of the island which had sprung into existence off the coast of Fortree. Archie sighed.

"The people who destroyed your house are the same people who kidnapped your parents and you pokémon. I believe they were working for a collector, called Samuel."

"God I'm sick of that guy." James muttered.

"You've run into him before?" Archie asked.

"He stole Latios and Dusknoir from me," James told him, "Made Dusknoir evolve and turned both pokémon into shadow pokémon. Somehow Dusknoir was freed, then we worked out we could free other shadow pokémon by using its Shadow Sneak attack. Then In Rustboro, when Deoxys appeared, he came to capture it."

"He didn't, did he?" Archie asked.

"No," James told him, "I did." At this the Aqua head's face lit up.

"I set it free." James said, his face down.

"Damn." Archie said.

"Why did Samuel kidnap James' parents?" Aria asked.

"Convenience." Archie said. "He is a collector of legends. He wants Rayquaza, that's his goal. To get Rayquaza to appear, he wanted to capture both Groudon and Kyogre and force them to fight. Legend says that in such a situation, Rayquaza would appear. Now, he has Groudon, but I've stopped him from getting his hands on Kyogre. That one rests with me." Archie took out a Dive Ball and enlarged it. It shook in his hand.

"Hence the rain." Aria said. Archie nodded.

"So why have you all come here?" James asked, "Couldn't you have all just fought it out somewhere else?"

"He's come to Fortree for the same reason as I have." Archie told him. "He has decided that, since he cannot have Kyogre, he will simply capture another pokémon capable of bringing Rayquaza to him. The Wish Maker."

"Excuse me?" Aria asked. Archie looked at them.

"Jirachi, a pokémon able to grant wishes." He said. "Samuel thinks that if he captures it, then it will make all his wishes come true. That means not only Rayquaza, but also all pokémon everywhere. Samuel would be the ruler of the pokémon world."

"Why are you here?" James asked again.

"Jirachi is here," Archie said, "Somewhere on the coast. And I know how to find it."

"Now, Jirachi is probably going to be hidden in the ocean, in some sort of cave," Archie said, as the three of them walked through the muddy grass, toward the sea. It was no longer raining, although the cold air seemed to be still full of water vapour. As they walked, they were joined by Crobat, Dusknoir and Salamence, who hadn't been with the main group at James' house and had therefore escaped capture.

"Kyogre will, I'm betting, find it pretty quickly. It'll be able to sense its power. And It'll take us down there."

"How?" James asked.

"It knows Psychic." Archie told him. "James, I need you down there, but I think you," He looked at Aria, "Should stay up here.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because Samuel might turn up at any time," Archie said, "And if we haven't found Jirachi by that time, we're gona need you to fend him off."

"Fine." She said.

Kyogre dived.

The sea basin pokémon swam almost effortlessly downward, ignoring the mounting pressure as it dived. James and Archie, inside a bubble of psychic energy, were being pulled down with it, and they couldn't feel the pressure building either. Eventually, the legendary water pokémon swam underneath a huge ridge of rock, and a cave came into view, through the dark water.

"I told you." Archie said. James said nothing. Kyogre swam in through the cave, and went about fifty metres into it before its size forced it to stop. It then extended the range of its psychic bubble so that the entire cave had breathable air. James and Archie were now standing on dry, craggy rock.

"I never expected it to be that easy." Archie said. James followed the Aqua leader's gaze, and his eyes found Jirachi.

It was asleep.

Both of its normal eyes, were calmly closed, and so was its eye of truth.

"So…" James said, unsure of what they were going to do.

"Jirachi is said to wake up and grant a person their wishes," Archie said, slowly, "If that person is of a pure heart. Which is probably why Samuel kidnapped your parents." James looked at him, incredulously. At that moment however, there was two roars – one from Kyogre, a thundering noise that seemed loud enough to collapse the cave.

And one from Suicune.

"Wake up the Jirachi!" Archie said, stepping in between James and the aurora pokémon, and pulling out a poke ball. "Go Kingdra!" There was a flash of light, and a powerful dragon pokémon appeared. Suicune, meeting the challenge, roared and leapt forward.

"Dragon Pulse!" Archie said. Kingdra shot a blast of power at Suicune, who shattered it with an Ice Beam. Kingdra leapt to one side, but the Ice Beam was so fast that it skimmed Kingdra's side, causing it pain.

"Whirlpool!" Archie said. Kingdra let out a cry, and the pool of water next to Kyogre came up in a great tornado, and curved toward Suicune.

"Jirachi," James said to the statue, turning away from the battle, "Please, wake up!"

Nothing happened.

"Come on!" James said, "We need help! Samuel is going to get Rayquaza, just like he got my parents and all of my pokémon!"

Still Jirachi did not move.

"Kingdra, return!" Archie said, as his dragon pokémon fell limply onto the rock.

"Mightyena, Shadow Ball!" He said, throwing out his dark type. Mightyena leapt forward and shot a lump of darkness at Suicune. The aurora pokémon made no attempt at avoiding the attack, but simply let it connect.

It did nothing.

"Jirachi!" James yelled at it, "We need your help! I wish you would give us some help! I wish you would give me some help! Dusknoir!" James span around and threw his dusk ball toward Suicune. His reaper pokémon burst into being, and landed between Mightyena and Suicune.

"Shadow Sneak!" Darkness erupted from Dusknoir's belly and shot toward Suicune, ripping through it and washing the shadows away.

"Now!" Archie shouted, throwing a Fast Ball at Suicune. The ball opened with a flash of orange light, and Suicune disappeared inside it. The captured pokémon disappeared inside it.

On the beach, the clouds were threatening to rain once more. Aria was sitting on a rock, watching the waves. Salamence was lying next to her, and Crobat was resting on top of it. Everything was calm, so much so that she had lost the feeling of dreaded expectation that had been with her since they had found James' house as it was.

Salamence was hit first.

A blast of ice smashed into it, and Salamence was knocked off its feet. Aria jumped to her feet and turned round, reaching for a poke ball as she went, but what she saw made her freeze.

A crowd of people were standing on the beach, and on the cliffs behind her. There had to be over a hundred. Each had a pokémon with them – Camerupt, Mightyena and Houndoom among the most common.

Each was wearing the same red uniform.

James looked up. They had been teleported from the cave into an area made entirely out of shiny steel. The light reflected off the floors and walls, and made it hard to see at first. However, after a few seconds the question of where they were became suddenly clear, as he spotted Samuel sitting on the other side of the highly polished room, with Entei at his side. Behind him stood a Blaziken and a Swampert. His partners. They stood straight-backed, showing no sign that they had noticed James arriving. Samuel smiled.

Thousands of miles away, back in the cave, Jirachi's Eye of Truth opened.

And with it, the eyes of another.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41 – Rayquaza awakens

"I am so sick of you," Samuel said to James. Behind him, Blaze's wrists burst into flame.

"Well I don't like you much either." James told him. "Where are my pokémon?"

"There fine," Samuel said, "Hidden away. Since you destroyed my machines for making shadow pokémon I've had to improvise." He looked toward Swampert. The mud fish pokémon was walking slowly forward on all fours. "What I have done on your two pokémon here is a sort of hypnosis. They are under my control, however unlike Shadow pokémon they haven't got increased powers."

"Then we can beat them." Archie said, pulling a poke ball from his pocket and enlarging it.

"Oh yes, I'm sure you can beat them," Samuel said to Archie. "Head of Team Aqua and all. But you on the other hand," he looked at James, "Haven't got a hope in hell."

"My other pokémon are just as strong as they are," James said.

"Yes, but you aren't," Samuel told him, "You ever stop to wonder why Archie himself couldn't wish to Jirachi? Or why I needed your parents? By the way, before I forget; don't worry about them, I have them locked up nice and safe." Blaze leapt forward, clearing ten metres of distance between them.

"The reason, of course," Samuel continued, "Was that we needed someone _pure of heart_." He said the words as though they were disgusting, slimy things that had squatted on his shoe. "And of course, not even the Aqua leader turned good-guy has a pure heart. The reason, of course, is that pure hearts will not let you survive through everything." Swampert opened its mouth and powered up an Ice Beam, before letting it die.

"Because of your _pure heart_," Samuel told him, "You wont be able to fight your pokémon, who are innocent victims of mine. You wont be able to hurt me to save yourself, your family, not even your girlfriend, who my colleges have captured.

"And you know the kicker?" Samuel continued, "Archie here, he would be able to stop me. He would be able to beat up his own pokémon and kill me, and do whatever else it took. But the real sad thing for you is that, unfortunately, Archie just cant."

James let his backpack slide off and hit the floor. Archie looked at him. The head of team Aqua seemed to agree with Samuel. He just wouldn't be able to beat Blaze, Swampert and the unmoving Entei, and whatever other pokémon Samuel had stored away. James fell to his knees, and reached into his pocket. He brought out the tiny, miniaturized poke ball emblazoned with a leaf symbol.

Was this where it ended?

No, because Samuel was wrong.

James reached into a side pocket of his bag and pulled out a strip of blue material, which he flicked into shape and slid over his head. The bandana, decorated with an A, fitted well, as James had adjusted it at home. He stood up, and brought his bag onto his back once more. He enlarged his poke ball.

"Go, Sceptile!" James said. There was a flash of light, and his partner stood before him.

"Jirachi didn't grant my wish anyway." James said.

Down on the beach, Aria had her poke balls taken off her. Salamence was unconscious – what other way was there to restrain a dragon? – and Crobat was being held down by a Camerupt who was standing on one of its wings. The bat pokémon struggled violently, before falling still.

"Blast." Maxie said, flipping shut a satellite phone. "No answer again, that Muppet Samuel better not be shutting me out on purpose. Hey!" He turned to the grunt next to him, "I'm going up, bring the Alakazam." As the grunt hurried off, another turned back to his Camerupt, which was holding down Crobat.

"Oh no, you killed it!" The grunt said, seeing the motionless bat pokémon. Camerupt lifted its foot to see, and Crobat zipped away. It flew into the air, took its bearings, and flew straight at Salamence. Without landing, it quickly bit down on the dragon type's back, and the large pokémon woke up immediately. Salamence gave a roar and reared onto its hind legs.

"Stop it!" The grunt said to his Camerupt. The eruption pokémon gave a bellow, and fire started to spew from its volcanos. Salamence gave a screech and flapped its wings, scattering the loose fire before breathing some more. Its Flamethrower was much more direct then the Eruption attack, and was much more powerful. Crobat flew up, away from the burning wreckage below, and Salamence followed it with another yell.

"Salamence!" Aria yelled, from where she was tied up a short distance away. The dragon pokémon turned in the air, recognising the yell, and swooped down to get her. The grunts guarding her scattered as Salamence picked her up in its mighty claws, and flew her up until they were level with the cliff top. There they landed, and Salamence cut through Aria's bonds easily. Then the ranger mounted Salamence, and took off, toward the giant flying ship in the sky.

"Kill him." Samuel said, sounding tired. Blaze leapt forward and fire burst from its wrists. It came down at James with a Fire Punch. Sceptile, using Detect, leapt at James, knocking him out of the way. Blaze shot a Flamethrower after them, and Sceptile held its Leaf Blade in the way of the fire, splitting the attack.

"Sceptile look out!" James yelled. The forest pokémon moved one of its bladed arms to the side, and blocked an Ice Beam sent by Swampert. Entei, behind Samuel, gave a roar and stepped forward.

"Go, Suicune!" Archie said, throwing out his newly caught aurora pokémon. Suicune hit the ground lightly and gave a roar.

"BubbleBeam!" Archie said. Suicune gave another roar and shot a stream of bubbles at Entei. The fire type blasted a Fire Blast to intercept. The cannon-like attack hit the BubbleBeam and caused an explosion which rocked the ship, and Blaze and Swampert had to stop their attack temporarily.

"Go!" James shouted. Sceptile, more agile then the others, leapt forward and slid on the floor, swinging around to use Slam. Its tail knocked Blaze's legs out from under it, and the fire type went down. Sceptile then went to all fours and its blades shot out again. It jumped at Swampert, too fast for a Protect to appear, and slashed the water/ground type with a super effective hit, four times stronger then normal. Swampert went down, and at that moment there was the sound of shattering glass from above. Blaze, ignoring the glass, leapt to its feet and ran toward James, its arm coming down and preparing for a Sky Uppercut. Crobat swooped down and shot an Air Cutter at Blaze, who had to break off the attack to dodge. Then, before Blaze could attack again, James' mighty Salamence landed in front of him and gave out a roar. James could see the Blaziken considering a fight, however it backed down – it would be unwise to attack an angry dragon.

But then they were hit with a stench, a fog that made even the dragon wretch.

"So am I to presume this is why you didn't answer my call?" Maxine said, walking forward. Next to him, his Houndoom was spewing out a Smog attack.

"Maxine?" Archie asked in disbelief, turning away from his battle with Entei. "I thought you were dead?"

"Nope." The head of Magma said with a smile, "And what's that I hear?" As if responding to him, the room fell silent. In the distance, heard through the broken window, was the huge call of Kyogre. Samuel, who had not moved, smiled as he recognised it.

"I guess this is time to release the titan," Maxine said, pulling out an Ultra Ball, which shook in his hand.

"Maxine, don't," Archie said, stepping forward, "if you do, then-"

"Yea, yea, I know," Maxine said, "The world will end." He threw the ball into the air, and it snapped open to release a flash of gold light. The huge form of Groudon appeared in front of them, scattering the fighters and causing the ship to suddenly drop a few metres under the weight. Ignoring everyone else, Groudon stomped toward the wall of the ship, which was made completely of windows that allowed one to see outside. With a single swipe of its claw, Groudon smashed every one.

"Go," Samuel shouted, "Go and make war with your foe!" Groudon roared and leapt from the window, falling several hundred meters before hitting the water with a mighty splash. Waves rocked the shore as the continent pokémon turned to face Kyogre.

"James!" Archie said, throwing something to him. James caught it, and realized that it was a poke ball – the same type as Kyogre had been kept in before.

"You have to recall it before Rayquaza turns up!" Archie yelled.

"Salamence!" James said. Aria slid off the dragon pokémon as James clambered on.

"Good luck." She said, "I'll handle this." James pulled himself onto the dragons back, siting just behind the shoulders. Salamence walked to the smashed windows, and looked out over the edge, down to the water below.

"Stop him!" Samuel yelled. Maxine's Houndoom and Samuel's Entei both started toward James, however before they could reach him Salamence dropped off the ship.

It dived, straight down, toward the water, turning back up just in time for the spray to wet their backs. Ahead of them, Groudon was standing upon a new island, while Kyogre swam in the ocean. As they flew forward, James gripping the ball, Kyogre let loose a blast of water from its back. The Water Spout attack hit Groudon with enough force to force it backward, and almost make it fall into the water. But the sunlight was gathering around Groudon and it stepped back forward and blasted Kyogre with a close range Solar Beam. Salamence swooped down, but had to pull up again as Kyogre dived beneath the waves. James needed to be sure that the ball would reach Kyogre, so they would have to get close. Groudon, spotting Salamence, gave a roar and swiped out with its arm. Salamence dodged, and flew away, low over the water.

A dark shape appeared beneath them.

"Go!" James yelled. Salamence shot straight up as Kyogre surfaced and shot a Water Spout into the air. The blast of water hit them, pushing Salamence up. James, now completely soaked, slipped on Salamence's hard scales. The ball flew out of his hand into oblivion, and he slipped sideways. Salamence was lost from view as James was pushed to the side, before reaching the edge of the Water Spout and starting to fall. Below him the waves were waiting.

There was a flash of light, and James was saved, yet again, by his ever-faithful Latios. Like always, it had arrived at just the right moment. The eon pokémon flew down with James, positioning the human upon its back, before swooping back up again.

"Thankyou." James whispered to his pokémon as his heart continued to race. Latios flew back around and into the air ship, landing inside.

Even before they landed, Blaze started toward them. Latios, somehow knowing what had happened, shrugged James off before flying straight at the Blaziken. Before the fire type could react, Latios grabbed hold of its head, stared into its eyes, and sent a wave of psychic energy through it. Blaze fell backward, shook itself, then rose. James grinned, knowing that Blaze was cured. Latios then flew over to Swampert.

"Stop it!" Samuel shouted. Entei jumped over and beared its teeth. Latios looked at the shadow pokémon for a few seconds. However, since its last encounter with a shadow pokémon it had obviously gotten stronger, as Latios did nothing but perform a Luster Purge. Entei was knocked backward, the shadows leapt from him, and he was knocked unconscious. James laughed, however the noise was drained by the primeval scream coming from the sky.

Samuel laughed. "Yes!"

Rayquaza flew downward, toward the battling titans. It opened its mouth and screamed, before a ball of energy formed. Rayquaza shot the Dragon Pulse attack at Groudon, and the ball of energy smashed into its back, knocking it forward, into the water. Kyogre let out a wail, and shot an Ice Beam at the sky high pokémon. Rayquaza dodged easily, hundreds of metres up, before flying straight back down and launching a Hyper Beam attack which ripped through the water. Kyogre dived, however the beam cut through the waves and smashed into the sea basin pokémon. Its second victim vanishing beneath the waves, Rayquaza screamed and flew straight upward once more. Then however, the Rayquaza caught sight of the air ship. It gave a scream and shot a Dragon Pulse at the ship. The attack smashed into the side of the craft and caused a huge explosion.

"Another attack will destroy us!" Someone, possibly Maxine, yelled.

"Latios!" James yelled, without thinking. The eon pokémon flew at him and, without slowing down, transferred James to its back. They flew out of the ship, straight at Rayquaza.

"Dragon Breath!" James said. Latios shot a blast of energy at Rayquaza. The attack, which normally would have knocked out a pokémon instantly, did absolutely nothing on Rayquaza. The sky high pokémon gave a massive flick of its tail, before shooting a Hyper Beam at them. Latios dived, spinning out of the way of the attack. As the beam faded, James knew his chance had appeared.

"Now!" He yelled, "Luster Purge!" Latios shot toward Rayquaza, and a light burst around it. Rayquaza, suddenly recovered from its Hyper Beam, flicked out with its tail. Latios just barely dodged.

From the air ship, there was a sudden burst of something – sound or energy, James didn't know. However it washed through Rayquaza, high above them, and suddenly the sky high pokémon was still.

"That cant be good." James said.

"Rayquaza!" Samuel's voice called over a speaker on the ship. "My newest servant. Kill that boy riding the Latias." Rayquaza roared, and shot a Dragon Pulse at them. Latios dodged out of the way, but then was almost hit by another. Rayquaza shot attack after attack at them. Latios flew forward, not dodging but simply flying in a straight line at top speed. It tucked its wings in and James bent down as low as possible. Rayquaza roared and shot after them, following as they pulled up into the clouds.

"Just keep going!" James roared. Latios cried out, as a Dragon Pulse shot by beneath them. Within a minute, the shore of Hoenn was growing small.

"I'll be back." James promised, aloud.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42 – the changing tide

Samuel watched as his new Rayquaza flew off, away from the ship, after James. This was indeed a snag, he thought. Not irreversible; but as far as snags went, this one was rather large. All three of the legendary beasts had been removed from his possession, and even though one of them was in the hands of Maxine, he knew that very soon the head of Team Magma would turn, knowing that he now held the power. The two titans, Kyogre and Groudon, were gone. They had disappeared after Rayquaza defeated them, completely ignoring the fact that they had been captured. And now, he was surrounded by many angry pokémon, most of which he had been hurting in some way. Blaze, who was looking out of the window after James, turned now to face Samuel. His wrists burst into flame, and he took a step forward.

"Right." The collector said. He pulled a phone from his pocket, entered in a number and held it to his ear. Whoever was on the other side answered immediately.

"Get me out of here." Samuel said.

A second later he had been teleported to safety.

Samuel steadied himself. He was now standing on the cliff tops, overlooking the sea and his air ship which was floating above it. Around him were many people – men and women – wearing Team Magma uniform. There were fifty of them. They were lined up, as per his order, on the edge of the cliff, with their pokémon facing out to sea. They were almost too relaxed at the moment, having been standing ready for hours with no orders yet. When the signal came, they were to fire either upon whoever was attempting to leave the ship.

Or the ship itself.

A few hundred metres away, about one hundred more Magma members were waiting, ready to release their flying pokémon – to which Zubat was the majority – into the skies.

After Samuel disappeared nobody moved for a few seconds. Then, in the same motion, Archie and his Mightyena and Maxine and his Houndoom turned to face each other, ready to fight.

"Hey!" Aria yelled, "What the hell are you doing?"

"He was in on it," Archie said.

"I was," Maxine admitted, "but only for the payoff. I might have lost Groudon, but you lost Kyogre too, so it's all good. Now I have Entei, so that's a bonus. I'm through with answering to that stupid collector."

"I'm sorry," Archie said, "I don't believe you."

"I thought that you were dead," Aria said, "And Team Magma broken up?"

"I faked my own death," Maxine told her, "And most of Team Magma thought I had kicked the bucket too."

"Why?" Aria asked.

"Samuel." Maxine said, "I was to go into hiding. People would be suspicious, put up their guard, if I suddenly stopped doing the sort of public stunts I had been doing."

Aria knew that, before Maxine's alleged death, he had been very public. They had bombed a museum. They had taken over the weather institute. They had taken over a radio tower. They had made Lavaridge Volcano erupt. Maxine had shown no sign of slowing down by the time the backwash from a shattered Hyper Beam had ended his life. However now he was, standing very much alive.

No one moved.

"Do you know where Samuel was keeping James' parents? And his pokémon?"

"They're being kept on the ground," Maxine said, "I can show you where."

Archie's cold stare didn't falter.

"Oh come on," the Magma leader said, "Let me off. We'll kick this guys arse, then go back to slowly killing each other from stress, what ya say?"

"Aqua's broken up, for real." Archie told him. "There's no one left but me."

"Well I can think of no one better to have as a partner." Maxine said. He laid a hand on Houndoom, and the pokémon relaxed. Mightyena looked up at its master.

"Fine." Archie said, relaxing.

After a few hours, how long exactly James wasn't sure, Rayquaza had stopped firing attacks at them. Now they both flew along in silence, Latios far in front of Rayquaza but the sky high pokémon clearly visible behind. Both pokémon were exhausted, and so was James. He was beginning to fear that Latios would simply drop out of the sky from fatigue. He began looking around for a place to land.

As they flew, the air slowly got colder. James, after connecting this to the pattern of small islands beneath them, realized that they were flying to Sinnoh. It appeared to be a favourite route for Latios, and he had no problem with it. In fact, it gave James an idea. If they could just make it to the top of the snow-capped mountains of Sinnoh, then they would be okay. They could hide somewhere, and Rayquaza would be driven away by the cold. Of course, it was all just wishful thinking, but James was too tired to think very well.

After a while, they were flying over land. Snowy land. Even here, far away from the mountains, white was falling.

"Come on, Latios," James urged, "Just a little bit more."

As they flew toward the mountain, James looked back at Rayquaza. He was sure that it was tired, as they were flying slower yet the sky high pokémon was still just as far behind. However it showed no signs of exhaustion.

They flew higher above a forest, which was standing high on the mountainside. They dropped a bit. Snow whipped James' face.

"Latios, just a little higher." James urged it. Latios gave a cry, before falling out of the sky completely. They dropped about ten metres – the eon pokémon had been flying very low – through some conifer trees to land in deep snow. A group of grazing Piloswine snorted at the intruders and the hairs on their bodies rose up slightly. The lead Mamoswine stepped forward, snorting for a challenge. James and Latios ignored them. Another pokémon appeared then, which made the ice/ground types run away, snorting. It was an Abomasnow, easily over two metres tall. It stared down at James, before something distracted it.

Rayquaza screamed, flew down toward the forest and broke apart the trees to make a space to land. The sky high pokémon slumped down upon the snow, and roared at James. Latios rose to fight, however James could tell that it would be terribly quick. Instead however, Abomasnow stepped forward, smashing its arms together as though clapping. It walked toward the dragon who had invaded its territory and clearly told it to leave. It shot a Leaf Storm attack at Rayquaza. The dragon didn't bother to dodge, and the attack did nothing. Rayquaza then interpreted this warning shot as a sign of weakness and moved forward. Abomasnow shot a Blizzard attack at Rayquaza, hitting the dragon/flying type with a doubly super effective attack. Rayquaza fell backward, before rising again. This time Abomasnow's hands started to glow white blue, before it shot a wave of something at Rayquaza. Whatever it was, as it washed over the trees they froze instantly – not just covered in snow any more but literarily transformed into ice crystals.

It was Sheer Cold.

The one hit knock out attack hit Rayquaza, who screamed and fell backward once more. This time it did not get up. Ice formed around it, growing on the pokémon like grass. James sat there, wet and cold and shocked. This wild pokémon, the Abomasnow, had taken down a tired, but nevertheless powerful Rayquaza with barely any effort. James rose to his feet and let his backpack – which had stayed on during the flight – fall to the ground. He then pulled the zip open and went inside it.

He pulled out an Ultra Ball.

James stepped away from the forest, toward the frozen Rayquaza. Now he needed to get back. However Gallade wasn't on his belt and Latios was in no state to battle. He turned back to the eon pokémon.

"Do you wana go back into your ball?" He asked it. Latios hardly ever went into its ball, as normally it was wandering the globe. Latios looked up, before flopping back down into the snow. Something in James' head however knew that Latios had said 'yes' in its own special way, so he rummaged in his backpack for his master ball. When he found it, he enlarged it and recalled Latios. Now, checking his belt, James found that he had Sceptile, Umbreon, Espeon, Eevee and Latios with him.

And his new Abomasnow.

He walked over to the Rayquaza and leant briefly upon it, before getting off the lump of ice. As he watched the sky, which was getting dark in this part of the world, something burst high above him. Some sort of object broke through the atmosphere and shot across the sky. James watched it with vague curiosity.

Of course, it was vague only until the meteorite turned in a great arch and shot toward him. Within seconds it would have hit – if it hadn't come to a complete stop, hitting the ground at high speed and spraying melted snow around it. After twenty metres of skidding it came to a halt in front of him.

James looked at it.

Deoxys.

"Whoa." James said, stepping backward and falling over. Before he could hit the ground however, the Deoxys let out a burst of psychic energy. James felt himself being lifted up and, surprisingly, he was placed on his feet. The normal forme Deoxys floated closer, and this time James held his ground.

"Are you…" He asked, looking closely at it, "Are you the Deoxys from before?" It nodded.

"Why you come back?" James asked it. Deoxys let out a strange noise, before motioning to James with one of its tentacles, as if reminding him of what it had just done.

"To help?" James asked. Deoxys nodded.

"Why?" The human asked. The pokémon gave no intention of answering, however within seconds James remembered Jirachi. James had wished for help.

Help had came.

"How are we gona get back to Fortree?" James asked it. Deoxys motioned to Rayquaza.

"Oh no," The human said, "It'll attack again." Deoxys ignored this and floated over. It looked at the frozen pokémon for a few seconds before its tentacles formed into hands, and it smashed them together. A wave of energy washed through Rayquaza, and the ice disappeared. The sky high pokémon crumpled on the ground for a moment, before its eyes opened. It let out a grumble as it spotted James. The human took a step back. Deoxys floated forward again and shot another wave of energy through Rayquaza. The sky high pokémon closed its eyes and shook itself, before opening them again, and this time there was no fury in them. Rayquaza raised its head and sniffed the air.

"Thanks." James said to Deoxys. Then to Rayquaza: "Hey, don't recon you could fly me back to Fortree do you?" The Rayquaza looked as though it didn't really want to.

"Samuel is there, the guy who did that to you." James said.

That captured the pokémon's attention.

Up in the air, it was a different flying experience then James had ever experienced. Instead of being on its back, James was standing in its hands. The three fingers on each hand were crossed with their brothers from the other hand, and two formed a platform for James to stand on, two went behind his back, and the remaining two were around his front. James didn't overly enjoy that position. While it was probably safer then sitting on a pokémon, on Salamence especially there was the feeling of safety as long as the pokémon's huge bulk was beneath you. Another thing was the flying style. Salamence flew with huge wings out on either side, flapping up and down, and you had to constantly adjust for the beats. Latios on the other hand seemed to simply shoot off in one direction, its wings tucked away. Rayquaza flew like a snake walks, with its long body flowing out behind it. James could see nothing behind him, and nothing in front of him but its head. He didn't feel secure.

This trip was much faster then the last one. Unlike before, where he was trying to simply outrun his peruser, now he had a mission. The problem however, was that the trip wasn't quite fast enough.

"We need to go faster!" James yelled at the top of his voice. The powerful wind grabbed hold of his words and threw them away. Deoxys however seemed to register that he wanted something, and flew in close.

"Faster!" James yelled. Deoxys flew on, and up to Rayquaza's head, where it flew in formation for a second, before both pokémon suddenly turned straight up. Deoxys brought up a psychic shield around them while Rayquaza shot into the higher levels of the atmosphere, through the last groups of cloud, and into a space where the air was clear. James however, thankfully couldn't feel any of the effects from their fast ascent, due to the protection of Deoxys.

The group flew straight up, until they weren't flying any longer, but suspended in space.

"Whoa." James breathed, looking down at the Hoenn region below him. Rayquaza, moving quickly in orbit, turned around and flew downward again; helped along by Deoxys, who gave them a push with a Psycho Boost sent into space. Fire whipped around them as the group burst through the atmosphere again, this time heading for the ground. As they sliced through the clouds and spotted land below them, Rayquaza pulled up, and they skimmed over a grassy field before flying back into the air. Rayquaza span around in the air, out of sheer exhilaration, and James spotted a group of buildings below them as they shot past. No doubt people there would have seen them. The thought made him laugh. Rayquaza flew upward some more, before pausing to find its bearings. It turned, and now the Lavaridge volcano was in front of them, the forests of Fortree behind that. They had gone a long way, and completely bypassed his city. Rayquaza let out a roar and flew forward.

Something black flew past in front of them. James jumped, but Rayquaza flew on as though nothing had happened. James looked around for Deoxys. The DNA pokémon was soaring beside him, while a few of its black clones split themselves into copies.

"What is he waiting for?" Aria asked. From the ship, they could easily see what Samuel had planned. Rows of Magma agents were lined up on the cliffs, their pokémon among them.

"Probably for us to fly out." Archie said, then to Maxine: "You couldn't get them to back down I suppose?" The Magma leader shook his head.

"They're supposed to listen to Samuel over me. Until now I didn't quite expect it to come to that."

"So what should we do? Fly out and take a chance?" Aria asked. Archie sighed.

"I guess it would be, on the whole, better to do so." The Aqua leader said.

"Excellent." Maxine said. "So we all on that kid's Salamence?"

"It wont be very agile with three people on it." Aria said, quickly. Archie looked at Maxine.

"We probably don't need to fly." He said.

"The beasts!" Maxine realized.

One after another, Suicune, Entei and Salamence jumped through the broken window.

All at once, a cloud of darkness rose from the cliffs, as hundreds of Zubat took to the wing in the mid afternoon light.

The cloud was upon them like poisonous smoke. Salamence roared and span through the air, spitting out fire to disperse the attackers. Entei leapt so far from the ship that it almost seemed to be flying, and landed on the sand of the beach. Suicune jumped higher rather then lower, and landed on the waves as though they were a soft yet stable floor.

"Fire." Samuel said. Suddenly the Camerupt started to shoot their fire. The Zubat darted out of the way, but their flittering still distracted Salamence enough for it to be hit at least a few times.

A roar marked Rayquaza's return.

Samuel looked up at the sky expectantly, but then frowned as the sky high pokémon blasted the Zubat apart with a Hyper Beam. The collector sighed and walked back toward the pokémon that would teleport him away.

It was time to go.

A black something swooped down in front of him. He stopped as the Deoxys clone spread its arms wide. Samuel pulled the gun from his pocket and fired. The Deoxys clone disappeared into mist as the bullet passed through it. Samuel started walking again but was stopped almost immediately as the real Speed Forme Deoxys sped down in front of him.

Samuel fired again.

Deoxys caught the bullet with a Psychic, turned it in mid air, and shot it straight back at Samuel. It hit him in the leg, and he fell over.

"Teleport me!" Samuel shouted. The pokémon standing nearby heard, and before Deoxys could stop it Samuel had vanished.

He reappeared in the empty air ship. Lying on the cold floor, he pulled himself to the bench and up onto his one good leg. There was a flash – not of a Teleport, but of sheer speed – and speed forme Deoxys appeared. Samuel pointed the gun and fired again. Deoxys moved to one side, dodging the bullet, and back to the original position so fast that Samuel could hardly see it. He yelled with frustration. Deoxys looked at him, before zipping out of a window, which broke on impact.

The DNA pokémon flew through the air – which was full of clones, forcibly removing the Zubat – and toward Rayquaza. A silent word passed between them. The sky high pokémon roared, and blasted the Magma-lined cliffs with a Hyper Beam, before flying back to the air ship. Pausing only to glare through the window at Samuel, Rayquaza flew down to the bottom of the ship and started to push. Deoxys joined him, transforming into defence forme and forcing the ship upward. The clones too started to shove the ship higher, creating more and more copies until the entire bottom of the ship was covered in blackness.

James, who was deposited on the grassy cliff face by Rayquaza before it went to the ship, waved Aria down. Salamence landed next to him and rubbed its trainer with a hard head.

"James!" Aria screamed, jumping down and hugging James.

"What do ya recon they're doing?" James asked. Aria didn't answer.

James looked away from the sky for just a moment – just long enough to see that there were no Magma agents left – they had either left or…

Archie and Maxine were also gone. Maxine had leapt into oblivion on the back of Entei, while Archie was now running across the oceans.

Slowly, the air ship moved higher into the sky, before Rayquaza broke off from the group and flew away. The clones and Deoxys continued pushing upward however until they were well out of sight, and they were flying through everlasting darkness.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43 – the first of many

"Hey, you look like a pretty reasonable trainer; do you plan to use that Eevee of yours in the competition?"

"What?" James asked, glancing down at his Eevee, who was at his ankle as always, "Oh, no, course not. Eevee doesn't battle."

"Well, I'm willing to bet that on that belt of yours are some other strong pokémon," The reporter said, turning her back on James and facing straight at the camera once more, "This is Gabby, and I'd just like to take this opportunity to wish all those competing the best of luck in this year's Ever Grande pokémon league competition."

"Oh my god, look at this room!" Aria said, dropping her bag at the door and walking into her and James' spacious hotel room at Ever Grande City. The competitors were housed on site at no personal charge, and they were given luxurious three star accommodation. Of course, once a trainer won their way up to the finals, they were shifted to a five star room that was completely adapted to their needs. James had heard of trainers ordering gym gear for their pokémon to be brought in; others wanted Jacuzzis, and once a trainer wanted an official size arena to be inside his complex.

Some things, of course, were refused.

However, seeing as this wasn't even the first, mass elimination round, the accommodation was simple, yet still large and very comfortable.

James had signed up to this year's competition that morning, after waiting in a line for over half an hour in the large administration building. After signing up, he had been given a single key card to his room, and told that his match would be displayed in the administration room at seven o'clock that evening, after the opening ceremony finished at six. Although many trainers usually went off to get drunk afterward (or even beforehand) the serious ones always turned up to the building on time. They were the ones who would last the miles.

In the room they would stay until the final rounds, there was little decoration. A single bed, a couch, and a small kitchen. James fully expected to never use that kitchen; there was hundreds of permanent and temporary shops all over Ever Grande, and James couldn't think that he would be bothered to cook.

"You wana take it in turns to use the bed?" He asked Aria, who was looking in all the draws and examining the tempting cans of beer, soft drink and the packets of chips.

"What?" She asked, "No, course not. You're the one competing, you should get to sleep on the bed every night." James looked at her. He knew her very well by now, enough to see through her rather sad lies.

"You wana sleep there every night?" He asked.

"Only if you don't want to." She said, quickly.

Later, James was walking alone, back from the opening ceremony, to the administration building where he would see his opponent and time for his first battle of the competition. The ceremony was great, he thought. The trainers competing had filled the huge stadium, and they all looked up as fire danced across the sky, the torch was lit, and the fireworks went off. Still, they shot into the air behind him. The cries of drunk men carried through the air – woman were usually out of sight when intoxicated – and in the air flew pokémon, carrying trainers either full of excitement or simply intent at showing off. The streets were full of people and pokémon, most of which were stopping constantly at the shops on either side of the road. This part of the city was closed for cars. He had at first kept only Eevee at his side as he walked down the street, but as he passed a woman with an escort of three Granbull, he decided to stuff it and bring out another pokémon. After considering Sceptile, be withdrew Gallade, thinking that it would be better suited to a packed crowd.

The blade pokémon emerged and looked around.

"Wana walk with me?" James asked it. Eevee gave a pur. Gallade bowed its head and started to walk. After a few metres however, Gallade stopped. James stopped too and looked back at it.

"What's up?" James asked it. Gallade made no answer, but a second later it disappeared.

"Hey!" He yelled to the empty air. Nearby shoppers stared. Suddenly Gallade Teleported beside him, then Teleported away again, pulling them along. James had trained his psychic type long and hard to home this skill – to Teleport things without touching them, and to Teleport without going along itself. They emerged onto a darker, emptier street, that also headed toward the administration building. There was a few people around, but what James was obviously meant to look for was easy to find. In the middle of the street was Wally and Gardevoir.

James looked from his pokémon to its former mate.

"James!" Wally said.

"Hey." He said back. Gardevoir looked sadly at Gallade, who stepped forward. There was no sign of the Gallade which was, or had been Gardevoir's current mate. Gallade must have sensed this too, because it took another step forward, before stopping.

"Oh no." Wally said, sadly.

Out from behind Gardevoir stepped three baby Ralts.

It was too late to win back Gardevoir. After the months of training, to ensure Gallade would win the battle, it had ended.

For a second James thought that Gallade was about to Teleport away in shame, and for a moment Gallade looked as though it was considering it. However it stood straight, head high, and went to stand beside James. The two friends stood between their two pokémon, slightly awkwardly.

"So how are you?" Wally asked.

"I'm good," James said, "We're you going to check who your battling?"

"Yea," Wally said. The two trainers started forward again, and their pokémon on either side walked with them. Eevee, oblivious to the situation, walked happily along between the trainers.

"So who else is here, ya know?" James asked.

"I saw Joel this morning," Wally said, "And I passed Lyra today,"

"Hows she?" James asked.

"Just as scary as ever." Wally said. By this time they had reached the administration building. Pokémon were not allowed outside their poke balls whilst in the building, however the battle pairings were also shown on huge screens outside.

"There I am." Wally said. James had to look for a few more seconds before he found his picture. His battle, with a trainer called Mary Campbell, was scheduled for 9:45, in two days time.

At 9:43, he walked out onto the pitch, poke ball enlarged in his hand. Opposite him, Mary was also walking out. His battler had been registered – to use any other would result in his expulsion from this year's competition. The rules were strict, and there was zero tolerance, especially at this early stage.

They both stopped at their respected boxes. James spun the poke ball on his finger, a grin on his face. It was finally here. The opening ceremony, the room, these were just tiny things which came with being here. The battling however, that was what he had come here for.

"Send out your pokémon!" The umpire said.

"Sceptile!" James shouted, throwing out his poke ball. His starter took to the stage.

"Mothim!" Mary shouted, throwing out a ball. There was a flash, and the moth pokémon took the field. A great disadvantage type wise, James knew, but in the end, who really cared?

James looked around. The grandstands were pretty much empty, apart from random people eating and not paying attention much, Aria, and Mary's family. They had not been given microphones, so they would have to shout. The field was basic, no obstacles. The sun beat down on their heads already.

Once again, who really cared?

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Bug Buzz!" Mary shouted. Mothim flapped its wings and send shock waves of energy at Sceptile.

"Detect!" James shouted. Sceptile's eyes glowed, and it jumped to the side, spinning unnecessarily. James laughed.

"Lets do this!" He shouted, "Solar Beam!" Sceptile landed hard on the ground and shot a bolt of Solar Beam at Mothim.

"Psychic!" Mary said. The moth pokémon glowed, and Sceptile's attack curved away. James had seen Psychic attacks send Solar Beams straight back – this one was weak in comparison. Maybe he could over power Mothim.

"Leaf Storm!" James said. From its tail, Sceptile shot a cloud of hard leaves, which shot toward the opponent. Mothim attempted another Psychic, however there was too much to concentrate on and the attack failed. The wave of Leaf Storm hit, knocking Mothim back.

"Solar Beam!"

This time the attack was right on target, and the moth was blasted into the air.

"Slam!"

Sceptile ran forward and jumped into the air, span around, and hit Mothim with its tail, throwing it to the ground. Sceptile landed next to its unconscious opponent, and pulled out its blades in triumph.

"James Millar is the winner!" The umpire announced.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44 – a new contender

"Begin!"

"Blaze, use Flamethrower!" James shouted.

"Quick Attack!" A boy named Tim said to his Swellow. The pokémon flew around the collum of fire, and shot straight at the Blaziken.

"Crobat, Air Cutter!" James said. Crobat flapped its wings and shot a few slices of wind toward the Swellow, throwing it off course. Tim's Medicham jumped forward now, toward Blaze, and came up with a kick. Blaze knocked it back with its arm, before punching Medicham in the face. Medicham's upper body fell backward, it flipped over, and kicked Blaze backward. The fire type stumbled backward, party impressed at the move, partly annoyed that it had worked.

"X-Scissor!" James shouted. Crobat flew upward and slashed out with its wings. The bug type move had little effect on Swellow, however it chipped on of its wings and Swellow's wobbled for a second in the air.

Medicham sent a burst of psychic energy, a Confusion, at Blaze, knocking it back slightly, before jumping into the air and bringing its fist down upon it. Blaze, recovering faster then its opponent expected, simply grabbed its fist and threw it to the ground. Its wrists weren't even burning any more – this battle was too easy to take seriously.

"Double Team!" James told Crobat. Swellow, who had been escaping a close fight, now suddenly found its way cut off by a group of Crobat clones.

"Poison Fang!" James said. The real Crobat swooped in and planted a bite on Swellow, injecting poison. The swallow pokémon flapped awkwardly for a few seconds, before falling to the ground. Blaze looked around as the limp Swellow landed a metre or so away from it, and Crobat landed on top of it, in order to cure its poison. The fire type then looked back at the Medicham, and punched it in the face. Medicham wobbled, before falling backward for real, and fainting.

"James Millar is the winner!" The umpire announced. James half walked, half ran onto the field in excitement. This was the first match of the second round – in which trainers who survived the first round competed in three double battles. If you lost any of them, you were gone. After this round came the finals, and only thirty-six trainers would be competing. From that time onward, all battles would be commentated, and televised. After those the first set of matches, sixteen trainers would be knocked out and the remaining sixteen would continue. Another round of matches, and the final eight would be announced. From that point on the pokémon league would have its prime time spot once again, matches would take place at night, and people would be watching from around the world. Final eight would become the final four, then two would be knocked out, and the final two trainers would battle.

James, having won the first of three double battles in the second round, walked happily back to his room with Aria. When they had reached their room, James' phone rang.

"Hello." He said.

"Hey," Joel's voice said.

"Hey Joel, how you doing? Haven't seen you yet."

"Yea we have to catch up," Joel said, fast, "Are you near a TV? Turn on channel nine." James went through the door to his room, which Aria had opened, found the remote and turned to the channel. It was a talk show – complete rubbish. However, this story was about the pokémon league. It was about a certain trainer who had also gotten through to the second round.

"…shocked audiences by bringing out a Lugia." The announcer said. The footage showed an aireal view of a trainer sending out a huge Lugia. After a few seconds, it shot a huge collection of curving beams of energy toward its opponent, a tangela. These beams formed into one huge one, which literarily blasted its opponent away. James stared at the television. That trainer had somehow captured a Lugia, and was using it in the competition.

"What are we gona do?" James asked Joel.

"Hope someone else beats it," Joel said.

Later that day, the Lugia trainer – a teenage male named Matt – had his first double battle. Admission in the first and second rounds was free for spectators, and James figured that he should at least watch the trainer who could very well win this year's competition.

He wasn't the only one.

The grandstands, which were normally empty at this stage, were probably over seventy percent full. James, Aria and Wally – who had not seen Matt on television – found a space and sat down. They then chatted idly for a few minutes before the two trainers far below them took the field. Matt was battling a young man named Tom. When the Umpire told the trainers to send out their pokémon – his words were lost through the wind and the crowd, but the raising of his flags got the message across to where they were sitting – Tom send out his Rapidash and Kingler. A second later Matt threw out his pokémon – a Sableye and a Shedinja.

There was a collective 'awe' from the crowd as they realized they would not get to see Lugia.

"May as well watch it anyway." Wally said. James nodded.

The umpire brought the flags down.

Shedinja instantly flew forward, straight at Rapidash, and Exploded. Rapidash was knocked backward, while Kingler used Harden and protected itself. As the dust cleared, the umpire raised a flag to pause the battle while Shedinja was returned. Shedinja then came into view - completely unharmed.

"What?" James said, leaning forward.

"Explosion didn't kill it!" Wally said.

"Maybe cause it's a ghost type, or cause it has Wonder Guard." Aria suggested.

"It should still have been knocked out." Wally said. Matt wasn't waiting to marvel at Shedinja's determination however. It pointed at Rapidash and Sableye leap at it, bringing the claws on its hands and feet forward and landing on the fire horse pokémon's face. It started attacking with Fury Swipes, and Rapidash reared onto its hind legs. Kingler scuttled over to help, but Shedinja sent a Shadow Ball at it. Kingler hardened, and the damage was neutralized. Sableye, just as fast as before, leapt off Rapidash, before jumping back up and hitting the fire type with a Shadow Claw. So much was the damage Rapidash had been given, that this single attack knocked it out. Then Matt's two pokémon turned on Kingler. Instead of attacking it directly however, Shedinja send out a dark aura, which encompassed Kingler.

"Destiny Bond." Wally said.

"But what if Kingler doesn't have a move that's supper effective?" James asked. Behind Shedinja, Sableye leapt. The shed pokémon fell to its team mate's attack, and as it hit the ground the aura was ripped from Kingler, and it collapsed as well.

"What?" James said again. The umpire declared Sableye to be the only conscious pokémon, and therefore Matt to be the winner.

"Right," Aria said, to break the silence, "Well, good luck."

Fortunately, there was little chance that James would have to battle Matt any time soon, or even at all. The day after Matt's battle, James was walking toward the administration building to check on his next battle partner, when he ran into someone he knew.

"Brendan!" James said, walking up to his mate.

"Hey, how ya doing?" Brendan asked.

"Not too bad," James said, "Was just about to check my next battle partner."

"Yea I just came from there." Brendan said. Nevertheless he walked back with James checked the board. As he found his picture, his heart suddenly sank.

His next opponent was Joel.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45 – James verse Joel

"All right, your on," The man said to James. He worked there, his job was to move trainers into the arena when it was their time, not before. James nodded. His nerves were going crazy. For what seemed the hundredth time, he checked that his belt contained the two poke balls he needed. For a moment he was tempted to pull them off and check that the stickers on them were the correct ones, but that was stupid. Of course they were the correct ones; he had checked them before at any case. Nevertheless, as he walked out into the corridor leading to the arena, he couldn't help but feel he was going to bring out the wrong pokémon.

At this stage in the competition, the crowd was starting to gather more. Although there was still no mass of supporters for either side, there were however many people in the stands, spectators, who arrived before the finals began to watch the earlier rounds. As he walked out into the sun, James tried in vane to find Aria in the crowd. She would no doubt be there, but her dignity would, at this stage, prevent her from standing up and waving her arms and screaming. So, of course, he had no idea where she was. Later, if it was going badly, or very well, she might begin to make herself more noticeable, but by that stage so would many people and she would remain lost. Beside, those are the times when you have to concentrate the most. As he reached the centre of the field, where the umpire was standing, he came face to face with his opponent – his friend Joel. James smiled. Despite always seeming the more powerful, Joel had given James his first ever victory in pokémon battling, with his Carvanha.

But that was a long time ago.

"I hope your taking this seriously, James," Joel said, holding out his hand. James took it.

"Of course," He said, meaning it.

"Because I am." His friend said, before breaking away and walking back to his box. James mirrored the action.

"Bring out your pokémon!" The umpire said. He was looking at James. James took that as a hint.

"Swampert! Manectric!" James said, throwing out his battlers. There were two flashes, and his pokémon appeared.

"Gyarados, Ludicolo!" Joel said, throwing out his pokémon. James immediately compared those who had taken the field. Manectric would do an amazing job on water/flying Gyarados, and an okay job on water/grass Ludicolo. Swampert, used mainly for its resistances and sheer strength then for any strategic advantage, would do reasonably well against Gyarados, due to its Ice Beam having an advantage. Ludicolo would be hard – Ice Beam would be super effective, but any grass type moves Ludicolo knows would be doubly super effective.

"Are both trainers ready?" The umpire asked. They both nodded. "Begin!"

"Hydro Pump!" Joel said, instantly. Both his pokémon stepped forward, and both shot mighty torrents at James' pokémon.

"Protect!" James said. Swampert, as rehearsed, brought up a shield surrounding it and Manectric. The water broke on the barrier, sending a spray of mist over the top.

"Charge!" James said. Manectric, hidden under the shield, began to Charge. Sparks flew in all directions, but they didn't bother Swampert. The Hydro Pumps died away as Joel's pokémon gave up their pointless assault.

"I guess it's my turn again." James said, as the sparks died down. Manectric was fully charged. "Swampert! Break the shield and use Ice Beam!" The massive water type allowed its Protect to fade, then shot a blast of cold toward Gyarados. The serpent dodged out of the way, before forming an angry ball of energy in its mouth, which it shot forward.

"Hammer Arm!" James shouted. Swampert leapt from the ground, its arm glowing, and punched the Dragon Rage attack. The sphere exploded, and energy washed over the arena. Manectric, who had been using the commotion as a distraction, to get closer to Gyarados and Ludicolo, was stopped in its tracks by the power expelled, and then thrown back.

"Smash 'em with Dragon Rage!" Joel said, "And Ludicolo, use Razor Leaf!" Ludicolo threw out a wave of bladed leaves, which shot as fast as lightning toward James' pokémon.

"Pro-" The leaves collided with Swampert, sending him spinning backward. Manectric, using heightened agility gained from the Charge, leapt over and through the leaves, avoiding them barely. Gyarados, all attention away from him, rose up and formed a sphere of energy in its jaws. This time however, instead of simply launching the attack, Gyarados breathed through it, and a gush of powerfully charged steam erupted out of sphere. The steam fell upon Manectric and Swampert. Swampert put its arms in the air and a shield started to form, but the steam fell through it and began to burn him. Manectric ran. However, even its awesome speed was not enough to escape.

"This is ridiculous." James muttered. "Swampert, Ice Beam!" Swampert clenched its fists, looked through the pain, and shot the Ice Beam straight up at Gyarados. The pokémon dodged out of the way, but the terrible Dragon Rage attack ended.

"NOW!" James shouted, it was time to put their plan into action.

"Earthquake!" James said. Swampert roared, and slammed the ground with its hind legs. A shockwave erupted from around it and shot outward. Manectric, who was closest, leapt into the air at just the right moment, using speed and agility that comes with being an electric type, and improved upon by charging. The tremor shot underneath Manectric and ripped through Gyarados and Ludicolo.

"Yes!" James said. Even though Gyarados was a flying type, it couldn't defend against ground attacks while resting. Time to attack again before they could recover.

"Discharge!" James said. Manectric ran forward this time, before stopping and releasing a blinding flash of light. Great chains of electricity leapt from the pokémon and ripped open the ground, moving over Swampert and blasting Gyarados and Ludicolo. Ludicolo was thrown backward, and Gyarados reared with pain.

_That didn't kill em? _James thought, _Awe well_.

"Hyper Beam!" Joel yelled. With a roar the water/flying type shot a beam of energy directly at Swampert.

"Protect!" James said. The Hyper Beam was broken by the Protect springing into life. Gyarados didn't falter however, but continued to pound the shield in case of it failing.

"Manectric, Spark!" James said. Manectric started to splutter with electricity, before leaping up and tackling Gyarados.

"Razor Leaf!" Joel said, and Ludicolo readied its attack.

"Ice Beam!" James said. Swampert let loose a blast of ice that ate up the Razor Leaf before freezing Ludicolo solid. Swampert then directed the attack at Gyarados, blasting the pokémon backward. Joel's star battler roared, and then fell.

"Both pokémon are unable to battle," The umpire announced, "James is the winner!"

"Yea!" James said, punching the sky.

On the other side of the arena, Joel returned his pokémon. He sighed. His dream was over. But, if he had to lose at the hand of anyone, he was glad it was James.

After all, he had lost to him before.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46 – The real battle starts

"Go, Espeon, Umbreon!" James said, throwing two poke balls high into the air. Eevee watched from his feet as its' parents took to the field, facing a Froslass and a Whiscash.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Whiscash, use Earthquake!" The trainer yelled.

"Umbreon, Psychic." James said, calmly. Just as Whiscash was about to smash its tail into the ground, setting off tremors, it was lifted into the air and thrown to the side.

"Now use a Psychic on Froslass." James said. Umbreon let loose a burst of energy, directed at the ghost type

"Double Team!"

"Break it, both of you," James said. His two pokémon stepped forward. Espeon's gem glowed, and Umbreon's rings and eyes flashed, and a wall of Psychic energy erupted toward the clones. Every one of them broke and the real Froslass fell like a bird shot with an arrow.

_That was the real way to win at double battles_, James thought, _gang up on a single opponent_.

"Now on Whiscash," James said, "Umbreon, use Psychic." The dark type threw its opponent into the air again.

"Espeon, Morning Sun!" Espeon started to glow.

"Umbreon, Double Team and Dark Pulse!" Umbreon split into copies this time, and they ran in amongst and around Froslass. The ghost pokémon shot off a Shadow Ball, which failed to hit even a clone, before Dark Pulse attacks burst from all sides. Of course, those attacks stemming from false Umbreons wouldn't be real either, but they would distract from the one attack which would be very real indeed.

It came from the left.

"Froslass is unable to battle!" The umpire said. Usually, battles seemed to pause while a trainer recalled their pokémon, however there was no rule that this had to happen. A trainer had to be prepared to battle even while recalling pokémon. In saying that, it was completely illegal to attack a pokémon declared by the umpire to be unable to battle.

James didn't see a point in waiting.

"Espeon, Mirror Move, Shadow Ball on Whiscash." Espeon's gem glowed, and the ghost attack formed out of it. Then, with a flick of its head, Espeon sent the lump of darkness at its remaining opponent. Whiscash dodged out of the way – it was the pokémon league, after all, it shouldn't be too easy – but that didn't matter.

"Psychic, hold Whiscash in the air." James said. Umbreon, knowing the command was for it, levitated the fish.

"Now, Espeon, use Last Resort." The gem on Espeon's head glowed, before releasing a blinding beam of light.

James was feeling very good about himself. He had gotten into the final rounds, he was in the top 16! He had even been interviewed upon leaving the arena. Of course, the interview only lasted about a minute and the reporter didn't seem very interested, but who cares? It was still a television interview! He and Aria, who had been in the stands, met with Joel after and went for lunch. Upon seeing his ex-rival James had felt a pang of guilt. Because of him, Joel wouldn't be in the finals. Not only that, but if he even wanted to remain in the city to watch the Pokémon League, he would have to book a hotel room. However, this problem seemed to have solved itself, as when Aria brought it up, Joel told them he was bunking with Wally.

"Though, knowing my luck it'll be him you beat next, then I'll be out of a room again."

After lunch, they parted from Joel to go to the administration building, so James could make his special custom arrangements for his hotel room – just one of the perks of making it into the final rounds.

His good mood wasn't even faded when he turned on the television and saw his reporter interviewing Matt, the Lugia trainer, with much more enthusiasm then he had shown while tending to James.

No, his happiness stayed firmly lodged even through the next day, the last day of that round, and while he walked to the administration building. When he arrived outside, he made sure to look around. Most of the people standing here – obviously not all, some were only interested – would have made it into the final round as he did.

Some he would have to battle.

He looked around for Wally, knowing that he had made it through, however he couldn't see him. James did manage to spot Brendan though, and Lyra. He was just about to make his way over to the former, when the pairings for the first matches of the round came up on the giant screens.

It was him verse Wally.

"Okay, so what pokémon does he have?" Aria asked, cracking the top of a can of Mother and skulking half of it.

"I don't know," James said, frustrated, "Gardevoir, Gallade, Delcatty, I don't know."

"Well, you beat Delcatty with a fighting type-"

"And psychic-type Gardevoir beats fighting type." James said, "we got nothing."

Lyra opened her mouth to point out that they would have something if James could only remember what Wally's fighting style was like, or what pokémon he liked to use, but thought better of it. Now was not the time. Looking at her watch, she realized that the night would now be classified as the next day. Nearly one o'clock. Not extremely late compared to what they were used to, but James needed sleep.

"Fine, lets not concentrate on strategy, I mean against his pokémon." Aria said. James raised an eyebrow at her.

"That came out wrong," She said, "I mean, lets not worry about type match-ups, you can do that on the spot. Just thing of six pokémon that you want to use, that work well together." James sighed.

"I can do that."

Across the housing complex, Matt, the Lugia trainer, was also awake. Nothing special about that, though, almost all of the trainers for the next day were still awake. Matt however wasn't the least bit tired. His eyes never left his computer screen, which at that moment was playing a video. It showed his opponent tomorrow battling Roxanne. This was the last gym battle to watch for this trainer. From watching this and the seven others, Matt had easily picked out her strategy. It wasn't a complex one. Her pokémon, they were tough, but they didn't look like extreme trouble his.

And that was without Lugia.

Written down beside him, on paper, was the species name of all her pokémon, with about five centimetres of space separating two names on the list. Then, to the right, for each of her pokémon was each of his six pokémon, and a strategy that will leave the opponent cut off, immobilized, defenceless and unable to fight back. He would remember every one of them.

He was serious; he wondered whether anyone else was.

"Hello everybody and welcome to the first match of this, third round of this years Pokémon League Competition!" The commentator paused while the packed grandstands roared. This battle, like all the others at this stage, would take place in the central, main arena. It was the same size of the others (as all were of official size) but the stands were bigger, to accommodate more people; there was a commentator's box; and the arena was raised about fifty metres above the ground. From how the stands were positioned, the audience could easily see everything happening on the field from wherever they sat, as well as the trench surrounding the battle – this way, aerial battles could be done to their full extent and the spectators would miss nothing.

"Both trainers today come from Fortree City, and I dare say they know each other personally." The commentator said. Well, one of the commentators – there was always two.

"The first trainer isn't well known in the wide world. Apart from his badges he has not participated in an official competition before now, although beginners luck has done him very well so far."

That wasn't entirely true, James knew, as the giant voice shouted Wally's name. Wally had been in at least one other official competition before now, a round robin tournament in which James and Joel had both participated in also. James had won, but only after Treecko evolved into Grovyle in order to defeat Joel.

"Our other trainer," Said the second commentator, "Also from Fortree, is a little more known, having won the Feaffle Town Cup, and being on first name terms with two members of the Elite Four!"

James thought he was probably more widely known by being at the centre of Rustboro's destruction, at his capture of Latios (to those who had seen the eon pokémon), at his saving of Fiore, or his continued clashes with Team Aqua and Samuel.

"I give you James Millar!" The crowd roared as James walked onto a small bridge which led to the arena. Of course, it was just general yelling. Perhaps by the next round people would know him enough to shout his name, but now that was a bit too much to hope for, in the general population.

As he crossed the bridge, he felt himself concentrating more on not falling off, and found himself clutching the handrails; but when he was safely in the trainer box, he realized how big this place was.

And every one of this people was screaming for him.

There was a rumble, and the arena floor folded away, another rising to take its place. This one covered in ice, and decorated with the odd bolder. The ground, which looked slippery and smooth, had to have some grip, James knew. It always does, as the ice wasn't frozen over a pool of water but a grassy field, so it was rough with the occasional smooth patch. More a frost then snow. Yet, it would give ice types an advantage, and fire types would find it slightly harder.

"This will be a six-on-six single battle," The umpire said. His voice travelled through his microphone on his shirt collar (identical to Wally and James') and out hundreds of loudspeakers. There will be two rounds, each with a different environment. The first round will end when 3 of either trainer's pokémon are unable to battle. The battle will be over when all 6 of either trainer's pokémon are unable to battle. Send out your first pokémon!"

"Magnezone!" Wally said. The steel type took the field.

_Damn_, James thought, upon seeing that Wally's Magneton had evolved.

"Crobat!" James said, throwing forward the poke ball that he had been holding, while wishing that he wasn't. Crobat was at about the worst disadvantage possible.

_Awe well, If worst comes to worse I'll swap out_.

"Begin the battle!"


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47 – James versus Wally

"Magnezone, Zap Cannon!" Wally said. Magnezone shot a black ball of lighting straight at Crobat, who managed to dodge out of the way using its incredible speed – but only just.

"Air Cutter!" James said. Crobat shot a few blades of wind toward Magnezone, and they all connected with its right eye. The force pushed Magnezone back slightly in the air, but apart from that it didn't move. The damage was minimal, however, it did make James realize that Magnezone was in no way fast.

"Thunderwave!" Wally said. Magnezone sent out a great wave of blue lightning from its magnets, and again Crobat flitted out of the way.

"Supersonic!" James said. Crobat sent an ultrasonic wave toward its opponent, and for a moment James wondered whether it had worked.

Then he knew it had.

Magnezone sunk down before running into the ground, ripping apart the ice as he moved forward through it. It was as though Magnezone had a remote control, and someone had gotten distracted while holding down the forward button.

"Now, X-Scissor!"

Crobat darted forward and slashed with its wings, however all that was achieved was Magnezone beginning to move in a slightly different direction.

"Too bad Magnezones a steel type," One of the commentators said, "It looks like none of crobat's moves are doing any damage."

"Return." James said, holding out the poke ball. The red light shot out, and as Magnezone was recovering from its confusion, Crobat was pulled back inside. James minimized the ball and stuck it back onto his belt. He registered the commentators applauding his decision to return Crobat, but didn't really care. He found the ball he wanted next and pulled it away.

"Politoed!" James said, throwing out his water type.

"Zap Cannon!" Wally said, quickly. Magnezone sent a ball of thunder blasting toward Politoed, who jumped out of the way.

"What a strange decision, to bring out Politoed," One of the commentators was saying. That confused James – weren't steel types weak to water? Surely it was the obvious decision?

"Bubblebeam!" James said. Politoed landed and sent a barrage of bubbles into Magnezone. The attack pushed Magnezone back slightly, but did little else.

"Sonic Boom!" Wally said. Magnezone sent out a shockwave, which ripped apart the Bubblebeam and knocked Politoed backward.

"My bet is that James was thinking steel types have a weakness to water," One of the commentators said.

"Yes, probably," The other agreed, "But at least water is one of the few types to which Magnezone doesn't have a resistance to."

"However," said the first, "If James isn't careful Magnezone's overwhelming type advantage will make this battle end quickly."

James didn't want to withdraw Politoed – it would only confirm everyones beliefs that he had made an almost crucial type match up mistake. He would have to make it look as though he knew the match up and meant to choose it.

"Bounce!" he shouted. Politoed leapt up and out of the Sonic Boom attack, and landed on Magnezone, its weight pushing the electric type into the ground.

"Water Pulse!" James said now. Politoed let loose with a blast of water from very close range, and Magnezone was pushed backward. It rose into the air again.

"Sonic Boom!" Wally said.

"Hyper Voice!" James shouted. As the wave of sound came rushing toward it, Politoed roared, and the volume was such that it completely negated Magnezone's attack.

"Now, Bubblebeam, lots of little bursts!" James said. Politoed hit Magnezone with football-sized lumps of Bubblebeam again and again, and each time one connected the electric pokémon flinched. It couldn't attack. It couldn't escape. Magnezone was pushed backward in small bursts, until it rolled over in the air – defeated.

"All right!" James said. Politoed, delighted, jumped back over to its master.

"Good job, buddy," Wally said to the poke ball, before minimizing it and clipping it onto his belt. Then he pulled off the one last in line on his left. To counter water – the choice was obvious.

"Roserade!" Wally shouted. There was a flash, and his next combatant took the field. James' stomach sank at the sight of the grass type.

"Wonder what James will do this time, faced with a opponent with a proper advantage," One of the commentators wondered.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Bubblebeam!" James said. Politoed shot a jet of bubbles forward.

"Magical Leaf!" Wally said. His grass type launched a collection of glowing leaves. The attacks connected in mid air, Magical Leaf ripping apart the bubbles and flying toward Politoed.

"Bounce and dodge it!" James told Politoed. The frog pokémon leapt up, over the attack, and darted toward Roserade.

"Dodge again!" James said. Politoed leapt sideways as the leaves shot back toward him.

"Its pointless to resist," One of the commentators was saying, "Magical Leaf attacks never miss, no matter how hard you try to dodge them."

"Return!" James said, recalling Politoed back to its poke ball.

"Well, I guess that works," The other umpire said, laughing, as the Magical Leaf attack fell to the ground.

"Quick," Wally said, before James had even put Politoed away. "Use Poison Spikes!" Roserade sprayed spurs all over the field. James knew, that any pokémon he sent out wouldn't be able to help standing on a spike, and from there the battle would end very quickly. Luckily, however, spikes were easily countered.

"Crobat, come on out!" James said.

"And James' Crobat makes its second appearance!" A commentator said.

"Air Cutter!"

"Magical Leaf!"

The two attacks collided; the Air Cutter slashed open the leaves, creating explosions of colour, before dissipating into nothingness. Neither attack had worked.

"Sludge Bomb!" Wally said. In Roseraid's hand a ball of toxic slime appeared, and the grass type threw it toward Crobat. The flying type dodged, flying underneath; however that was when the Sludge Bomb exploded. Waves of sludge, poison gas, fire and shockwaves ripped apart the air around Crobat.

"Woah, I don't think we've ever seen that!" A commentator yelled. Crobat inadvertently dived, skimmed the ground painfully, before taking to the air once more, ripping a Poison Barb from its belly using its teeth.

"Again!" Wally said.

"Supersonic!" James shouted. A Sludge Bomb formed in Roserade's hand, but before it could be thrown Crobat swooped down on Roserade and sent a Supersonic attack its way. Roserade stopped moving, before slowly moving its hand until the pulsating ball of grime was close to its face. Roserade examined the bomb, before being encased in a sudden sphere of fire. The grass type was sent flying backward, and tumbled to a stop in the snow.

"Air Cutter!" James said, "Get rid of the barbs." Crobat flew up, before sending waves of Air Cutter attacks into the field. They ripped apart the soil, throwing away the frost and exposing earth, and disposing the barbs. By this time however, Roserade had snapped out of its confusion.

"Toxic Spikes punch!" Wally said.

"What he say?" A commentator asked. Roserade formed a collection of barbs in its hand, before jumping up at Crobat.

"Dodge and Z-Scissor!" James said. Crobat flew out of the way, and while Roserade fell back to earth the bat pokémon readied its attack. Roserade made a throwing action, and the barbs flew from its hand – straight into Crobat.

They might have been a poison type move on a poison type pokémon, however they were nevertheless effective. Crobat's flight was broken, a barb or two in its wing, and it landing on the ground with a thump.

"Solar Beam!" Wally said. Roserade lifted its petals to the sky, and sunlight gathered within them.

"That might be a terrible type matchup," A commentator was saying, "But a direct hit from Solar Beam always does terrific damage."

"Crobat!" James yelled. Crobat ripped the last barb from its flesh and took to the air once more, but not quickly enough to avoid the huge gush of energy from Roserade's Solar Beam.

"Crobat can no longer battle!" The umpire said, as its unconscious form flopped back onto the dirt.

"Thanks buddy," James said, recalling it. As he brought out his third pokémon, spinning the ball on his finger, James noticed how exhausted Roserade was looking. A direct hit would be all it needed.

"Dusknoir!" James said. The reaper pokémon took to the field.

"Sludge Bomb!" Wally said. Roserade readied a bomb and threw it, however before it could make contact Dusknoir sunk into the ground.

"What an amazing strategy!" A commentator said, "Making full use of Dusknoir's ghost characteristics!"

"Now, a Blizzard." James said. Ten metres away, behind Roserade, Dusknoir rose from the ground and fired a Blizzard. James had guessed right – no sooner had the powerful, super effective attack hit, had Roserade been…

"Knocked cold!" a commenter said with glee, "And is it just me, or is it really starting to feel chilli here?"

"Delcatty!" Wally said.

"Good choice, a normal type against a ghost," Said the first commentator.

"Yes," Said the second, "But don't forget that, while ghost attacks cant harm normal types, neither can normal moves harm ghosts,"

"And it has already been revealed that Dusknoir knows Blizzard, an ice attack," Said the first.

"Dusknoir, we'll start this off," James said, pleased that he had Wally two-to-one. He was winning this first round. "Use your Thunder Punch!" Dusknoir floated slowly forward, before swooping into the ground and bursting up behind Delcatty. The normal type's eyes gleamed, before it twisted and swiped with its tail, leaving dark streaks hanging in the air.

"That was a Night Slash." A commentator said. Dusknoir's attack had been broken before it began, and it fell backward slightly.

"Now Shadow Claw!" Wally said. Delcatty leapt at Dusknoir and slashed again, this time knocking it back for real. Dusknoir crumpled to the ground.

"You can do it!" James shouted. Dusknoir opened its eyes, shock itself slightly, before sinking into the ground. James needed to finish this fast.

"Blizzard, underground!" He said. This was a move they had rehearsed. The attack was given some phase-shifting power, due to Dusknoir's own out-of-phase self; but the ghost type still had to put extra energy into forcing the Blizzard from the ground. The result was a blizzard, with much more then normal power, venting from the ground all over the field. Freezing air erupted from the earth, tearing up the soil further and lifting Delcatty's fur up - before freezing it.

Ice crystals began to form on Delcatty, transforming the pokémon into an ice sculpture. There was nowhere to run, the entire field was being assaulted.

Then the attack ended. Delcatty was frozen.

Delcatty is unable to battle," The umpire announced, "Round one goes to James Millar!"


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48 – James versus Wally – part 2

"And now its time to start the second half of today's match," A commentator announced. This wasn't a great shock to anyone – James and Wally had taken their places, in the trainer boxes on opposite sides to the places they were previously; the umpires had moved back into their positions; the concrete field, which had swallowed up the remains of the ice environment at the conclusion of the last half, folded away, to reveal a blackened landscape, where the grass was burnt to ash and various charcoal logs littered the arena. The only object that reached higher then half a metre from the ground was a skeletal tree, burnt white and naked, which stood eerily just off centre.

"A fire environment!" A commentator said, excitedly. Although there were many different terrains, some occurred much more often then others. The fire field was rarely seen, but when it appeared the spectators knew they were promised an awesome battle. Although most fields were little more then a distraction, and could only be used as a weapon by the most skilled of trainers, the fire field was an exception. James smiled as he remembered the previous year – a trainer sprayed too much water onto the field of a fire environment and the result was a thick tar-like substance which immobilized both of the pokémon on the field at that time.

"Politoed!" James said.

"Altaria!" Wally responded. James felt a pang of disappointment as Altaria took to the sky – his strategy wouldn't work.

Unless of course, he could get Altaria onto the ground.

You never know.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"DragonBreath!" Wally said.

"BubbleBeam!" James said.

"And yet again we see James' Politoed fending off damage with its BubbleBeam!" This time however, the water attack was simply swallowed up by DragonBreath. Politoed jumped clear.

"I think its safe to say Altaria has the advantage here," A commentator was saying, "What with being able to fly, and the strength of a dragon, Politoed might find its opponent's resistance to water too much to handle.

"Bounce, and pull it down!" James said. Politoed leapt into the air, but before it could land on Altaria's wing the humming pokémon soared out of the way.

Politoed's tongue shot out and glued itself to Altaria. The crowd screamed their mixture of amazement and excitement as Politoed landed on Altaria's back. The pair of them started to descend to earth – Politoed was too much for Altaria to carry.

"Roll!" Wally said, "Throw him off!"

"Don't let it!" James said. Politoed clung on while Altaria span to the ground. "Now do a Water Pulse!" However by this time they were too close to the ground, and they collided with the earth before Politoed could get the attack off.

"Now!" James said.

"Sing!" Wally shouted. And at once, a beautiful sound filled the stadium. Protected from its negative effects, James and everyone else could only watch while Politoed's eyes started to droop.

"No." James said, without much conviction, "Hyper Voice." But, just as how a person would decide sleep is better then waking up, Politoed chose to shut its eyes and sink into unconsciousness.

"Dragonbeath!" Wally shouted. Altaria screamed, and blasted fire at Politoed, encasing it in devastating energy.

"Politoed is unable to battle!" The umpire said, when Altaria stopped the attack. James half hoped that Politoed was simply still asleep, but the frog pokémon had been knocked backward – this was no light doze, that was certain.

But he was still leading 4-3.

The problem now, was deciding what pokémon to counter Altaria. James was confident that what had lost him the battle was Politoed's inability to fly. He had a pokémon that could fly, but he wasn't sure how well it would do against Altaria. In fact, he was fairly certain it would perform badly. Best just to keep it in reserve. He reached instead for his Dusk Ball again, and enlarged it.

"Dusknoir!" James said, throwing the capsule forward.

"And the reaper pokémon makes a reappearance!" A commentator said.

"Altaria, return!" Wally said, straight away, withdrawing his dragon. James raised his eyebrows – Altaria wasn't hurt, hardly even tired, and it had no dramatic weakness Dusknoir could exploit.

No, that wasn't true: Dusknoir's Blizzard would do four times the damage against an ice/flying type. James couldn't believe he hadn't remembered Dusknoir's Blizzard.

Doesn't matter; he had brought out Dusknoir anyway, and Wally had recalled Altaria. And now James had to concentrate, because Wally was throwing forward his next pokémon: Flygon.

"Flygon?" James laughed. If Altaria had a weakness to Blizzard, it was nothing to Flygon's. A ground/dragon type, it was quite possibly even worse off. James waited for Wally to recall his battler, however his friend made no attempt to.

"Crunch!" Wally said. Flygon leapt into the air and flew toward Dusknoir.

_So that's why he chose Flygon_. James thought, while Dusknoir fell through the ground.

"Blizzard it!" James said. Dusknoir rose from the earth and shot a gale after Flygon.

"OUTRAGE!" Wally screamed. Flygon's eyes glowed, and it exploded with fire.

"Holy-" James said, as the Blizzard dissipated and Flygon dived down to Dusknoir.

"Look at the power!" A commentator said.

"Again!" Wally said. This time James saw; he saw Flygon open its mouth and he saw fire explode forward, directed by the dragon's jaws. The attack hit Dusknoir before the reaper pokémon could take cover underground, and encased it in a pillar of fire.

"Will-O-Wisp!" James said. Enchanted orbs of blue fire broke through the vortex and shot toward Flygon, who had landed.

"OH!" The commentators said, as five of the orbs collided with Flygon, singing its scales. Flygon sat on its hind legs, stock still, as though it hadn't noticed.

"Flygon's fatigued!" A commentator said, "The two Outrage attacks were too much for it!"

"Return!" Wally said, and Flygon disappeared into a beam of red light.

"Altaria, DragonBreath!" Wally said while throwing his first dragon back into battle.

"Blizzard!" James said. Dusknoir shot a icy blast toward Altaria, but it was now utterly exhausted, while Altaria was fresh. The DragonBreath broke through, and Dusknoir took the full force of it. The reaper pokémon collapsed.

"Dusknoir is unable to battle!" The umpire announced.

"And Wally's hit-and-run tactics seem to have worked, for the moment at any case." A commentator said. James withdrew Dusknoir, and clipped the minimized dusk ball back onto his belt.

"Tropius!" James said, hoping that the fruit pokémon could tough it out long enough to wear down Wally's pokémon.

"A shiny pokémon!" A commentator said, excitedly. At this there was some mutterings, which quietened down as soon as people realized the battle had started.

"Altaria, Sky Attack." Wally said.

"Up in the air," James said, "And Air Slash!" The two pokémon took to the wing: Altaria elegantly, and Tropius very jerkily and with much flapping. Altaria gave a cry, and flew at Tropius with its body burning in red energy. Tropius brought its wings forward, and two blades of wind span forward to meet Altaria – and broke apart on impact. The attack didn't even slow Altaria down. The humming pokémon connected with Tropius before James could shout another command.

But it turned out he didn't need to.

Tropius, an instant before the sky attack had hit, bought up its hardened front feet, and Altaria slammed into them.

"Stomp!" James said. Tropius' wings stopped flapping, and it fell to the ground, with Altaria underneath it. A ten or so metre drop later and Tropius and Altaria slammed into the ground, spraying a sort of gravel in all directions.

"Altaria is unable to battle!" The umpire said.

"Now, Wally only has two pokémon left – his Flygon and an unknown battler," A commentator said, "and James has three, including Tropius."

"If Wally wants to have a reasonable chance," The other cut in, "He'll have to defeat Tropius with his next pokémon."

"Flygon!" Wally said, throwing it out.

"A good choice," A commentator said, "Flygon should put up a good fight."

"Flamethrower!" Wally said.

"Air Slash!" James said. The two attacks flew toward each other, but this time the Air Slash ripped through, turning the Flamethrower to falling embers while Flygon dodged out of the way. The shreds of fire fell slowly to the ground, and when they landed on the charred dirt they erupted into being once more. It was as though small patches of fuel had been poured over the arena.

"And there goes the fire environment," A commentator said. James saw Wally's face light up with inspiration.

"Flygon, drive it down!" Wally said.

"Leaf Blade!" James said. Flygon flew up, then dived toward Tropius, attempting to force it downward – and succeeding. Although the fruit pokémon flapped valiantly, and slashed out at Flygon with bladed wings, the combined weight of the two large pokémon were too much to support. The pair of them hit the ground hard, and Tropius threw Flygon off it. Flygon rolled over and sat up upon the flaming dirt. Tropius, burning amongst the fire, let out a roar.

"Solar Beam!" James said.

"Flamethrower!" Wally said. Quicker, the fire attack scorched Tropius and caused the ground around it to explode with flames. The Solar Beam suddenly cut through, blasting the fire away and ripping through the Flamethrower, to hit Flygon.

"Yea!" James yelled in triumph. Flygon however leapt away, and the result was only a glancing blow.

"No!" He said.

"Flamethrower, again!" Wally said. Flygon flew upward, before blowing fire down upon Tropius. This was finally too much for the grass type – the ground exploding from below, the flames washing down from above.

"Tropius is unable to battle!" The umpire said.

"All right!" Wally said. Flygon flew back down and landed. The flames didn't seem to be affecting it at all. After recalling Tropius, James reached for the obvious choice to battle Flygon, before catching himself and returning the ball to his belt. Not yet – he promised himself to leave it until last.

Pulling off the other poke ball, James yelled: "Gallade!"

The blade pokémon materialized, took in the field, then rose slightly off the ground, suspended a few centimetres off the burning coals by a layer of psychic energy under its feet. While battling, the quick contact its feet make with the burning ground would be tolerable – this was only temporary.

"Gallade," James said, "Send it a Psycho Cut!" Gallade extended its blades, then slashed its right arm out, sending the attack forward.

"Dodge!" Wally said. Flygon leapt into the air, but the Psycho Cut attack was so fast that it still managed to skim the pokémon's leg. Flygon let out a roar of pain as it ascended.

"Teleport and Close Combat!" James said. Gallade disappeared, and reappeared twenty metres up, right next to Flygon. Gallade delivered an uppercut to Flygon's head, kicked it in the belly, and punched down on its skull, before the pokémon could even work out what was happening. It fell, and recovered only just before smashing into the ground. Flygon evened out, and was flying parallel to the ground, before beginning to turn upward again.

"Teleport it!" James said. Gallade, safe on the ground, didn't even brandish a fist – it didn't need to. Flygon was gone for only the shortest amount of time, and it hadn't changed position hardly at all, so for a moment people were wondering why Flygon had rammed the ground, churning up soil for a good two metres before coming to a stop. Gallade had teleported it to the same spot – but in a different position. It had kept its velocity during teleportation, so when it arrived, facing the ground, Flygon ran straight into it.

"Leaf Blade!" James said. Gallade leapt into the air, its blades glowing green, and came down hard on its opponent.

"Flygon is unable to battle!" the umpire said.

"Ah, too bad," The commentator was saying.

"Yes, but its not over yet," Said the other.

James however, was fairly sure it was. Wally had one pokémon; he had two. Gallade wasn't even tired from this battle. This should be easy – his first final match was in the bag.

But then, he realized what pokémon Wally would undoubtedly be sending out, and suddenly he wasn't so sure.

"Gardevoir!" Wally said, throwing out his star battler, and the once mate of James' Gallade.

The two psychic types looked into each others eyes. Gallade, blades out, crouching at the ready. Gardevoir, straight backed, standing perfectly still. For a few seconds nothing moved, even the audience and commentators were silent. Then, Gallade straightened up, retracted its blades, then kneeled. One fist on the burning ground, its head down, it waited on one knee.

"Gallade is unwilling to battle, Gardevoir is the winner." The umpire said, slightly taken aback. The commentators were muttering amongst themselves. Gallade stood back up, stared at Gardevoir for a moment, before walking back to James. When it reached him, it hung its head in shame.

"No," James said to it, "No, you did good. I would never make you fight Gardevoir. You earned a rest; do you wana go inside or stay and watch?" Gallade appeared to be making up its mind, before it disappeared in a beam of red light.

Now was the time for that final pokémon. James pulled the premier ball from his belt once more.

So much for the advantage.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49 – In the line of fire

The premier ball cracked open, and James' Blaziken appeared. Standing tall and proud on the burning ashes it caught Gardevoir's eye, and its wrists burst into flames.

"A Blaziken!" A commentator said, "And a powerful one."

"A disadvantage to Gardevoir, though," Said the other commentator, "because of its fighting type characteristics."

"Hopefully that doesn't prevent this from being an incredible battle," The first said. Blaze adopted a fighting stance, so very similar to that Gallade had taken, minutes ago. On the other side of the field, Gardevoir was still standing straight backed, arms hanging at its side, just as it had done facing Gallade. However, this time, James' fighter would not back down.

Blaze never backed down.

"Psychic." Wally said. Gardevoir was momentarily surrounded in an aura, before mental energy was thrown forward. James, from the trainer's box, could see the score board, above the grandstands. It showed both trainers' faces, and five dark boxes representing their fallen pokémon. In the last space of each line were their final battlers – Blaziken and Gardevoir. This battle was the last in the match, and would decide who was staying and who would be expelled from the competition now.

Gardevoir – a pokémon who valued a trainer's life more then its own.

Blaze – a pokémon who had a promise to keep.

One would eventually have to lay down in defeat.

Blaze never backed down.

Blaze leapt into the air, jumping clear out of the way of the attack, which threw ash into the air.

"Brave Bird!" James said. From up high, Blaze's body burst with blue and red energy, and it shot toward Gardevoir like a bullet.

"Psychic!" Wally shouted. Gardevoir reached up with its mind and grabbed hold of Blaze, and threw it aside. Blaze flipped in mid air, its feet slammed into the ground, and it leapt straight back at its opponent.

Its fist burst with fire.

Gardevoir was thrown backward with the force the Fire Punch had delivered, straight to its chest. It caught itself on a cushion of psychic energy, and was lowered easily down onto its feet.

"Charge Beam!" Wally said.

"Gardevoir knows electric moves!" A commentator exclaimed. The blast of electricity shot toward Blaze, so fast that even the Blaziken's reflexes were not enough. The jolt brought the fighting type to its knees, but Blaze instantly rose again, its wrists burning once again.

"Charge Beam, again!" Wally said. Gardevoir shot another burst of electricity toward Blaze, this one bigger then the last, but both trainer and pokémon were ready this time.

"Flamethrower the ground!" James said. Blaze shot fire toward the ground between itself and the attack, and the area where the Flamethrower made contact exploded. Ash, fire and earth flew into the air, and the Charge Beam was defused in the blast.

"Now Brave Bird!" James said. Blaze leapt forward, through the vortex of rising ash and smoke left from the explosion, and at Gardevoir. The psychic pokémon dodged with a Teleport, then grabbed Blaze from behind with a Psychic, throwing it upward once more and blasting it with Charge Beam.

Blaze crumpled when it hit the ground, but with some effort it rose again.

"Wally's using Charge Beam a lot," A commentator noted, "That's probably because it grows more powerful each time its used.

Blaze rushed toward Gardevoir, and threw its fist to the air. Gardevoir Teleported away from the Sky Uppercut, however, and shot another Charge Beam.

"Fire Punch!" James said. Blaze caught the Charge Beam with its burning hands, and just as though it were deflecting a stream of water, kept the electricity at bay using nothing but extreme heat from its hands.

"Teleport and Psychic!" Wally said. Suddenly Gardevoir was right next to Blaze, and the next attack was consequently a critical hit. Blaze rolled to a stop in the dirt, explosive ash clinging to its feathers. But then it rose again, its wrists becoming lit.

"Flamethrower!" James said, "Barrage the area!" Blaze shot bursts of fire in the rough direction of Gardevoir, who Teleported out of the way of one, before being caught by another.

"Yes." James said, in relief. At least something had worked.

"Double Team!" Wally said. And suddenly ten Gardevoirs were flying forward. Some gathering electricity in their arms, others glowing with strange auras.

"Jump!" James said. Blaze had only just cleared the ground when a huge Charge Beam shocked it, bringing it down again.

"Is that it?" A commentator asked. But then Blaze was picking itself up, yet again. James didn't know how much more it could take.

But Blaze never backed down.

And this time, when its wrists burst into life, they weren't the same fire as before. The flames reached all the way up to its shoulders, and they were different colours: first white hot, then blue, then finally red and yellow.

"It looks like Blaze' special ability has kicked in!" A commentator said, having caught on to Blaziken's nickname.

Blaze – when its health was down, fire attacks grew in power. Making it at its strongest while it was at its weakest.

Gardevoir didn't stand a chance.

"Flamethrower!" James said. Fire streamed from Blaze's mouth and fists, joining together to form one huge storm of flames which surged toward Gardevoir.

"Psychic! Contain it!" Wally said. Gardevoir caught the storm with its mental attack, but the fire threatened to flow over.

"Trace!" Wally said. A fiery red aura burst around Gardevoir this time, and the fire began to be pushed back.

"And that's Gardevoir's ability, Trace," The commentator said, "Which copies the ability being used by the opponent. Now Gardevoir has the same heightened control of fire that Blaze has."

That was true, but there was another factor. Attacks were more powerful when they matched the pokémon's type. Blaze's fire attacks were more powerful because of its fire characteristics; and even though Gardevoir was now receiving a boost, it still didn't have the little extra push that a same type would bring.

"You can do it!" James screamed. And Blaze did. It forced the fire back, and over Gardevoir, entrapping it in a storm.

"Brave Bird!" James said, "Finish it!" Blaze roared, red and blue surrounded it, and it flew into the firestorm. Suddenly the blaze was ripped into nothingness as Blaze entered it, and it connected with Gardevoir at full speed. Gardevoir was thrown backward, and James knew the instant that Gardevoir hit the ground, and wasn't caught by any psychic barrier, that they had won.

"YES!" James yelled, his arms in the air.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle," The umpire said, throwing up the red flag, "Wally is out of useable pokémon, and James Millar is the winner of the battle!" The stadium erupted in cheers, confetti was raining down from who knows where.

In the centre of the arena, Blaze pulled Gardevoir to its feet. The two of them had never met before, but Blaze knew all about Gardevoir from Gallade, with whom it often sparred. Gardevoir looked sadly at Blaze, before returning to its master. And Blaze walked toward James, showing dignity to which its other sparring partner, Sceptile, would never have been capable of.

It was a few days after the first battle. All the top sixteen had battled, and eight had been eliminated. After a day of sulking, Wally had become completely fine with James beating him, and his journey ending – for the moment anyway. Since then the two friends had enjoyed going to the other battles together. The Lugia trainer's battle was very spectacular, if a bit violent. James hadn't thought it possible to make pokémon battles _more_ violent, but Matt managed it. Even from the beginning. Faced with a charging Rapidash, using Mega Horn, Matt ordered his Sableye to attack its legs. The ghost type leapt under the horn and grabbed hold of its opponent's front hooves, flipping Rapidash over like a bicycle with a stick through the front wheel.

All in all, James was in a good mood by the time the first round came to a close, and he was smiling when he walked, Wally at his side and Eevee at his ankle, to the administration building, to find out who he would be battling, and when. He also needed to talk to a person at the desk on booking a water field for the battle. Environments could be booked by trainers up to two days before a match. If you booked the field, it was guaranteed to be in the battle, however your opponent was given an advantage. They were told of your booking an environment, and they were also given the chance to book their own field. If they wanted to, then this field would _not_ be disclosed to the trainer who booked first. James thought it risky booking a field, but he thought it the only chance he would be able to use his Sharpedo. Because the pokémon could only battle on a water field, unless James could be sure such an environment would be in the battle, he couldn't risk it wouldn't.

A few minutes after they arrived, the giant screen flashed on. There was only eight trainers this round, so the board displayed the trainer's pictures much larger, as well as times and environments. Every one of the environments was represented as a question mark, except one.

"Must have booked it early," Wally said. James however, wasn't paying attention. He couldn't believe it – he was going to battle Matt, the Lugia trainer.

"Bad luck there mate," Said someone behind him. James turned, and to his surprise it was Matt in the flesh, standing right behind him.

"Oh," He said, before holding out his hand, "May the best trainer win."

"Yes," Matt said, shaking his hands. The three of them stood in silence for a moment.

"Well, see you Friday," James said, heading toward the front desk. Wally followed him.

"Hey," James said, "I'd like to book a water field for my next match," The attendant ran through the rules with him, James agreed, and signed something, before the attendant began typing away at a computer.

"Your booking a water environment?" came Matt's voice from behind him. James turned to face him.

"Yes," He said, "You going to?"

"Oh I definitely will," Matt said, "You see, my battle style is very into strategy. What I do is I watch the opponent, find out about their battling style, and figure out ways to shut them down. Your choosing a field gives me the advantage of knowing something you don't. You know all my pokémon, everyone does, and I will soon know all yours-"

"How will you know all James' pokémon?" Wally interrupted, "You gona facebook him or something?" James instantly tried to recall whether he had adequate protection on his facebook page to prevent Matt from accessing his photos.

"I don't need to," His foe said, "But I assure you, by Friday, every one of my pokémon will have a strategy to deal with each and every one of yours."

Impossible. That was what Aria had said when they told her of their meeting with Matt. However even her resolve quavered when she saw the email which had appeared in James' inbox. From an address he did not recognise, it contained an attachment, an no message. James clicked on the attachment. A web page loaded. When it had, James saw that it was part of the Pokémon League web site. This page was devoted to him. James smiled when he saw it, but his grin faded when he spotted the video playlist on the right of the screen. Each of his gym battles was listed there. He clicked on 'James Vs Roxanne' and watched as his digital self brought out Grovyle, Blaze (a Combusken at the time), Tropius and Gallade, to battle Golem, Steelix, Nosepass, and Rampardos, who had still been Roxanne's at the time. Scrolling down the lists of videos, James found not only the complete history of his gym battles, but also his previous battles in the pokémon league. He had of course seen the cameras in the gyms, but he had assumed they were there for security, not this.

By the end of the next day, a Wednesday, his plight was looking hopeless. While James, Wally and Aria stressed and worried about strategy, Matt was building a seamless plan. James had nearly twenty pokémon, but when Matt said he could think up a battle plan for each one, James couldn't help but believe him. They had tried the same thing, but the amount of notes was horrific, and it took them several watches of a single battle to work out his strategies. Then, when the opponent sent out a new pokémon, Matt's battle plan was completely different. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning of Thursday, by the time Aria thumped the screen of the laptop closed, before opening it again in frustration and holding down the power button to turn it off properly.

"What?" James said, sleepily.

"Think I know how to get him," Aria said, with not so much pride, as exhaustion.

"How?"

"He isn't good at thinking things up on the spot," she said, "That's why he plans ahead so well. That works because he plans for every single pokémon he could possibly encounter."

"Your not making me feel better," James said. However, when Aria had finished explaining her plan, a smile had returned to his face.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to today's battle!" The crowd responded enthusiastically, although this could be simply because, at that moment, James and Matt were walking onto the arena. In the centre field they shook hands, before turning and walking back to their trainer boxes.

"Oh yes," Said the second commentator, "today's match should be _very_ good." James frowned. He knew that voice, though from where he couldn't quite place. It was surly, and didn't seem the type to ever become ecstatic. Although it certainly seemed excited about something.

However, James had more important things to worry about at the moment. The concrete field was folding away, and any moment the environment for the first half would be appearing. It might be comprised of water, or any other environment of Matt's choosing. From his ankle came a purr, and James looked down, meeting Eevee's reassuring gaze.

"And James seems to have brought an Eevee onto the field," Said the second voice.

"Oh come now, it isn't illegal to have a partner with you, Scott."

_Oh no_. James said. The last thing he needed right now was Scott Johnston, a commentator which a personal dislike for James, possibly helped along by James successful finding of a Poliwrath, which meant Scott had lost his two star pokémon, Espeon and Umbreon. James tore his mind away from the league's unfortunate choice of commentators, in time to see Matt's choice in field appearing. It was a simple stretch of lawn, with no obstacles whatsoever.

A grass field.

Why did Matt choose a grass field? The one environment that suited every single pokémon, except of course those dependent on water.

"Sableye!" Matt said, throwing forward his first pokémon. Sableye, the pokémon he used so much that it could be treated as his trademark – that is of course, he didn't have that Lugia.

"Manectric!" James said, throwing his electric type forward.

"Begin!"

"Spark!" James said. The trap was set.

"Go!" Matt said, simply. Sableye darted forward, and Manectric, acting to the plan James had told it, readied itself to catch Sableye in a Bite attack. The ghost type simply span in the air and sent the full force of the sprint into Manectric's leg. The discharge pokémon crumpled.

"STOP THE BATTLE!" The umpire yelled, running onto the field. Sableye leapt back.

"And it looks like James' pokémon is down already, it mustn't have had very good training," Scott was saying. The umpire was bending over Manectric. James was very confused. The usual procedure, when a pokémon was knocked out, was to say the pokémon couldn't battle, and hold up a flag; screaming to stop and running onto the field was something new.

Perhaps this umpire was new.

The crowd was muttering. The battle had only just started and it was paused already. Some were booing. James stepped off the trainer's box – as long as the battle had been stopped this was legal – and started to walk toward the umpire. Manectric's eyes were open, it wasn't unconscious, but it was on the ground.

Something was wrong.

As James started to run, a stretcher complete with nurse came hurtling onto the field. The Umpire was in his way, and the nurse reached Manectric first. They were already wheeling his pokémon away when James caught a look at it. Manectric was whimpering, his back left leg was sticking out at a bad angle. The front leg, where Sableye had actually hit, was exposing bone.

As the group hurried from the field, Matt looked after them. James sending out Manectric was more then he could have hopped. It was obvious the pokémon had arthritis, a hard enough hit was all it took to break a weathered beam.

He smiled.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50 – the battle for vengeance

"Manectric will be fine," The doctor was saying to James, "You had him on arthritis medication?"

"Yes," James said, relieved.

"Well," The doctor said, "It has helped, however the pokémon has also developed osteoporosis, the problem here, which has resulted in weak bones."

"Does that… mean anything?" James asked him.

"Well," The man sighed, "Like I said, Manectric will be fine, but I cannot allow it to participate in any more battles in the pokémon league," James knew that this meant Manectric would be disqualified from the competition, "And I have to recommend that it doesn't battle any more. At all. Its far time that old dog became a house pet. We'd like to keep it for now, we'll call you tonight."

James didn't feel like battling, however the match had only been postponed, and sooner or later it would have to continue. Matt, the Lugia trainer, was at an advantage. With Manectric out of the running permanently, James would of course not be able to use it against his opponent. Pokémon League rules dictate that, in the event a battle should be stopped in an emergency and continued later, all pokémon able to battle would still be able to battle when the match was restarted. Manectric would be deemed 'unable to battle', however Sableye, who caused the damage, had been able to battle then and therefore would still be in the match when it was resumed. James was going to have to face his greatest opponent yet, starting with one pokémon down.

"And here he is," Scott Johnston said as James walked onto the pitch. "His Manectric obviously lacked proper training; James Millan wasn't in the right to even send it out to battle."

James was suddenly filled with anger at Scott, who he had always hated. Even though it wasn't top of his list, Scott getting his name wrong _again_ also added to the mood.

The grass field was up, the umpire was holding the flags high. Matt threw a ball high, and with a crack it released the cursed Sableye. James reached to his belt and pulled off a pokémon. _"Matt's strategy"_, Aria had told him, _"is to work out a way to defeat every pokémon used by the trainers he faces. He finds out those pokémon by watching videos of gym battles, so all you have to do is use pokémon you haven't used in any gym battles and he'll be lost."_

"Pidgeot!" James shouted. With a flash the flying type appeared above them, and James was pleased to see a look of surprise cross Matt's face. Trading pokémon in the middle of the competition was perfectly legal, and there were even trade machines in the main pokémon centre. The problem was that once a trainer has used a pokémon for a long time, the pokémon starts to perform better as it becomes familiar to a trainer. Therefore, trading in this sort of high level competition was often not a good idea. Pidgeot however had been around James so often it was used to him, and he had even battled with it in the past, just for fun of course.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Shadow Ball!" Matt said. James said nothing. Pidgeot, soaring across the sky, didn't attempt to dodge, and allowed the attack to hit. The ghost type move did nothing against a normal pokémon.

"Good thing those attacks are ineffective," Scott was saying, "Otherwise James would have been in trouble-"

"He knew it wouldn't do anything," The other commentator said, "That why he didn't move Pidgeot."

"Now its our turn!" James said, "Pidgeot use Mirror Move, barrage the ground!" Pidgeot flapped its wings, a large amount of down fell from Pidgeot, and from between them a collection of Shadow Balls shot toward the ground. Sableye leapt, attempting to dodge, but was caught up in two different Shadow Balls, taking damage.

"Air Slash!" James said. Pidgeot flapped its wings and sent a blade of wind spiralling down toward Sableye. Surprised to be on the receiving end of its own attack and still recovering from the hits it took, Sableye couldn't dodge in time.

"Sableye is unable to battle!" The umpire said.

"Yeah!" Said the second umpire, who had clearly taken James' side.

"Lucky shot-" Scott started to say.

"Maybe," The second commentator said, "But that Sableye has never been taken down in the history of this competition, and its Matt's most used pokémon."

"Tyranitar!" Matt said, "Use your Thunder!"

"Quick Attack!" James said. Pidgeot sped under the lightning attack and struck Tyranitar in the belly, before retreating. "Another one!" James said.

"And that," Scott said, while Pidgeot rushed forward, "Is one thing you never do: physically attack an opponent straight on when nothings distracting it."

"Stone Edge!" Matt said.

"Mirror Move!" James shouted. An instant before hitting the stone spike that had sprung out of the ground around Tyranitar, Pidgeot flapped its wings, and more shot out, straight into Tyranitar from close range.

"Critical Hit!" The second commentator laughed, as Tyranitar flew backward.

"Quick Attack!" James said. Pidgeot shot after Tyranitar and struck it hard, sending it rolling into the dirt. Then it flew upward.

"Air Slash!" James said. Pidgeot dropped the attack from above, and it fell to Tyranitar.

"Thunder!" Matt said. The lightning shot upward in a heartbeat, connecting with the blade of wind and blowing it up. Through the smoke Pidgeot fell. It grasped Tyranitar with its talons and threw it backward. As the monster fell backward, Pidgeot launched itself into the air once more.

"Tailwind!" James said.

"James' Pidgeot is already dominating the battle with its amazing speed," The second commentator was saying, "And now with Tailwind its set to be even faster!"

"Quick Attack!" James said. Pidgeot flew upward as fast as a bullet, and the momentum when it finally connected with Tyranitar magnified the attack.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle!" The umpire said.

"Yes!" James said, hands in the air.

"Two pokémon down on Matt's side!" The second umpire was saying, "A feet that has not been done before this early in a match."

Matt recalled Tyranitar. With the exception of Lugia, Tyranitar was supposed to be the heavy weight of his team – this Pidgeot had brought it down easily. Sableye had been caught off guard, and Tyranitar had been outrun. His reputation as the impossible trainer was being flushed down the toilet – it was time to get serious.

"Lugia!" He called. There was a flash of purple, and his master ball opened and Lugia erupted from it. Dark feathers, purple pointed eyes, ten metres tall, Matt's Lugia was the spitting image of a nightmare.

"_Now_ the real battle starts," Scott said. James couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Come on Pidgeot, let's do this!" James said.

"Aero Blast!" Matt said.

"Quick Attack!" James said, "Dodge it!" The bird pokémon flew to the side, but Lugia's mighty beam caught up with it and blasted the pokémon from the sky.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle!" The umpire announced.

"Awe well," James said, "You did really really well, buddy," As he pulled off his third pokémon, James wondered how Scott could rate that as a real battle.

"Swampert!" James said, throwing his heavy weight forward. With a flash Swampert appeared.

"Begin!" The umpire said.

"Aero Blast." Matt said.

"Protect!" James shouted. The shield sprung into place just as the beam of energy hit. James however knew he was on borrowed time – Swampert was one pokémon Matt knew about, and would have a strategy for. From the look of things, Lugia wasn't about to stop the onslaught soon – Matt's plan was to simply wait for Swampert's strength to fail. It was so simple, that it was annoying how stuck James was. Swampert couldn't attack without breaking the shield, in which case the Aero Blast would crush any attack and knock Swampert out. Then the most obvious answer came to him.

"Swampert, return!" James said. The poke ball's light struck Swampert from behind, where he had dropped the shield, and the pokémon was successfully recalled. The shield gone, the Aero Blast smashed into the ground, throwing dirt high in the air. James pulled an Ultra Ball from his belt – another new pokémon would temporarily confuse Matt, so James would have to act quickly to achieve maximum effect, and the flying dirt would act as cover.

"Abomasnow!" James said, throwing forward his newest pokémon. "Sheer Cold!"

Matt's surprise didn't last long.

"Aero Blast!" He shouted. Lugia's attack met with Abomasnow's beam of absolute zero, and for a second it looked like the Aero Blast was freezing. Then the energy shattered, sending huge icicles of energy raining down to dissipate on contact with the ground. Lugia, its attack broken, dodged out of the way of the Sheer Cold. The ice attack grazed its side, and a growth of ice crystals appeared. Lugia, obviously hurt by the glancing blow, roared and flew toward Abomasnow, ignoring Matt who was telling it to use Psycho Boost.

"Blizzard!" James said. Abomasnow send a storm of ice and snow toward Lugia, but the legendary pokémon simply burst through it to ram Abomasnow with its head. Hard. Abomasnow flew backward and landed hard on the dirt.

"Abomasnow is unable to battle!" The umpire said.

"And that's the end of the first round," Said the second commentator.

Down in the locker room, James was itching to get back out and battle. Lugia had taken a hit from Sheer Cold. Not a direct one of course, but even a passing blow would have done extreme damage. The longer he waited the longer Lugia had to recover. The half an hour break seemed to take forever. James withdrew Pidgeot and Abomasnow, and congratulated them for their effort. Pidgeot had knocked out two of Matt's pokémon. Abomasnow, with its spectacular effort against Lugia, could have won James the match for him.

"All right, folks," The second umpire was saying, "The second half is about to begin." James and Matt changed sides, and the concrete field slid away, to be replaced with a water one.

"Just to remind everyone," Scott said, "The score is 3-2 to Matt, and his Lugia is still in the battle-"

"Though physically injured," The second umpire cut in, "And lets not forget that, since this battle was started with James one pokémon down, he has done a spectacular job of knocking out two of his opponent's pokémon and injuring a third."

"Send out your pokémon!" The umpire said. He looked at James – it was his turn to bring out the first pokémon.

"Swampert!" James shouted, throwing the pokémon forward. With a splash, the mud fish pokémon landed in the water. This field, as usual, was comprised of a very deep tank of water, taking up the entire field. Floating on the surface were a few sheets of ice, to be used as platforms for land pokémon. If these were destroyed, new ones would suddenly rise up from the bottom at a moment which wouldn't influence the battle. Swampert, perfectly happy in the water, was bobbing about.

"Lugia!" Matt called. James supposed that seeing Lugia again was good – it gave the pokémon less time to recover. However, James now had to battle the impossible titan again – and he was running out of pokémon.

"Begin!"

"Dive!" James said.

"Aero Blast!" Matt said. Lugia blasted the water's surface with the beam of energy, causing spray to reach twenty metres in the air. Swampert however had escaped at the last moment. Lugia landed on a icefloe, turning around to survey the water around it. As it turned, it winced slightly, and James noticed a red graze from where the Sheer Cold had struck.

"Blizzard, on its side!" James said. From under the water came a gale of cruel wind, which burnt away at the red mark, making Lugia cringe with pain.

"Now, Hammer Arm!" James said. With a huge splash Swampert cleared itself of the water, its hand glowing white, and punched Lugia in the face with all its might. The diving pokémon fell backward, into the pool, displacing a huge amount of water. As the liquid flowed up and over the sides, Swampert was pulled up with it.

"Psycho Boost!" Matt said. Before Swampert could swim away it was thrown into the air, then slammed against the water's surface again. The sheer force of hitting the water was nearly enough to make it pass out. Swampert darted to the icefloe, hiding beneath it. James looked from Swampert, under the water and clinging to his only hiding spot, to Lugia, standing on top of it, and had an idea.

"Earthquake!" James shouted. Under the water, Swampert slammed against the ice, and the tremors were enough to shake Lugia from its perch, making it fall into the water again. Now, as the water was the danger zone, Swampert clung to the ice and flipped it, so that now he was above the water.

"Quickly, freeze the surface with Blizzard!" James shouted. Swampert shot forth a gale, and a moment later the water field was hard as stone. As it was freezing, Lugia broke the surface, and for a second James feared the worst, but then the lake froze around it, sealing the diving pokémon in. Lugia roared with anguish.

"Psycho Boost, break free!"

"Don't let it!" James said. Swampert skidded toward Lugia and began to pummel its head with Hammer Arm. Standing behind it, Swampert was out of the line of fire, and completely safe. Lugia, taking damage, roared in frustration, and suddenly span around in the water, shattering the ice around it and rising up in a Whirlpool. The tank water was sucked up with the twister, and Swampert with it. Suddenly Lugia broke free from the Whirlpool, which immediately collapsed, dropping Swampert to the ground. As the water fell back into the pool, it was clear that Swampert had passed out.

"Swampert is unable to battle!" The umpire said.

_Damn_. James thought, recalling his pokémon. The worst part about that defeat was that Matt had nothing to do with it – Lugia had been using its own initiative when it broke free. And now James only had two pokémon left, to combat Matt's four. Lugia however, looked utterly exhausted, although obviously still strong. Still enough to deal with any regular pokémon.

Good thing his reserve was no regular pokémon.

It had never once failed to save James at his hour of need, often fighting off legendary pokémon to do so. Hopefully he was up to the task once again.

"Go, Latios!" James shouted, throwing his Master Ball forward.

The crowd let out a gasp, then a cheer as the eon pokémon took to the air.

"And James also own a legendary pokémon!" The second commentator said with glee, "And he's saved it up till now! Lugia doesn't stand a chance!"

"Lugia is much bigger and more powerful," Scott pointed out, "And in any case, James has left it too late – even if he defeats Lugia, he would still have too much ground to cover."

"Oh shutup." James sighed. The crowd laughed, as did the commentator. Scott's angry retort however was drowned by the umpire signalling the start of the match.

"Aero Blast!" Matt shouted. Lugia gathered its beam and blasted it toward Latios, but by this time the lightning fast eon pokémon had already disappeared.

"DragonBreath!" James said. Latios swooped down and sent a burst of fire into Lugia's side; it had obviously seen its injury. Lugia roared with pain, and swiped out with its wing. Latios, already too far away, responded to James' instruction and shot a burst of Psychic energy into Lugia.

"In the air!" Matt ordered, "Use Psycho Boost!"

"Psychic!" James said. Lugia soared into the sky, before sending a wave of energy at Latios. The eon pokémon concentrated, and met the attack with one of its own. The two psychic type moves connecting in the air made it seem that the universe was tearing apart around them.

"Luster Purge!" James said. In the middle of the stalemate, Latios suddenly burst with white light, breaking apart both attacks and causing Lugia to fall.

"Whirlpool!" Matt shouted. Lugia curved away from its nosedive and started spinning, collecting the water from the pool and flying up toward Latios. The eon pokémon flew away, but was sucked back into the twister, which suddenly broke. Before anyone could react, Lugia blasted the stunned Latios with a close range Aero Blast, sending it into the bottom of the tank. Water collapsing around it, Latios struggled to take wing.

Before being slammed back down by Lugia.

Latios hit the water hard, and sunk beneath the surface, before recovering slightly and bursting free again. However that last Aero Blast had been a direct hit from close range, and Latios was visibly flying slower. Ignoring Scott Johnston staying that this was it, James ordered Latios into the air again. It complied, flying high above the battlefield.

"Just wait there," James said, hoping his plan would work, "And dodge anything Lugia throws at you."

"Whirlpool." Matt said, smiling. If it had sucked Latios up before, it was bound to do it again. Lugia scooped up the water and spiralled toward Latios.

"Now!" James shouted, "Draco Meteor!" Latios shot a golden meteorite down toward the Whirlpool slicing straight through the eye and slamming hard into Lugia's unsuspecting head. The Whirlpool broke as Lugia fell, to land hard on an icefloe.

"Lugia is unable to battle!" The umpire said. The crowd roared.

"THIS IS THE FIRST TIME!" the commentator was yelling "THAT MATT'S LUGIA HAS EVEN BEEN HURT, LET ALONE TAKEN DOWN!"

Latios flew down, and James gave it a rub.

"Thankyou." He whispered to it, before recalling the exhausted legendary.

"Sharpedo!" James shouted, throwing his final unused battler out.

"Weavile!" Matt said, throwing forward his pokémon. The Sharp Claw pokémon landed on the icefloe, and Sharpedo began swimming around it.

"Ram the ice." James said. Weavile, perched unsteadily on the only land in the arena, nearly fell in as Sharpedo slammed into the icefloe from below. However it managed to stay above water by clinging onto the side.

"Hit it with Skull Bash." James said. Sharpedo leapt from the water, flying at Weavile. As they connected however, Weavile swiped out with a Night Slash. Both pokémon received full damage from the other's attack, Sharpedo falling to one side and Weavile being thrown into the water.

"Crunch!" James said. Lighting quick on land, Weavile was pathetic in the water. Sharpedo surged toward it, gripped it in its teeth and lacerated it, before letting it fly. Weavile flew high, before landing with a splash several metres away.

"Get to shore!" Matt shouted.

"Skull Bash!" James said. Sharpedo surged forward again, toward Weavile who had just made it to the icefloe. However it was unable to climb up the ice. Instead it watched its attacker, and attempted to move to the side, so Sharpedo swam headlong into the ice. The brutal pokémon was too smart to fall for it though, and changed course to match its opponent's movement, slamming into Weavile and crushing it against the ice. Sharpedo picked up its sinking opponent gingerly in its huge teeth, and flipped it onto the ice.

"Weavile is unable to battle!" The umpire announced.

"What a display of sportsmanship." The commentator who liked James was saying. At this Scott immediately began berating on how Sharpedo was attacking a fainted opponent, but James was no longer listening.

They now both had two pokémon left.

"Shedinja!" Matt said, throwing forth his pokémon. At this James nearly laughed. Shedinja was immune to all types but those super effective to it. Sharpedo knew a dark type move – super effective.

"Crunch!" James said. The brutal pokémon swam forward. Matt did nothing, until Sharpedo was right underneath.

"Explosion!" Matt thundered. Shedinja blew up, pushing Sharpedo under the water as a shockwave rippled through the tank.

James had forgotten, of course, that Matt had planned for every one of James' pokémon he had seen.

Sharpedo surfaced closer to James' side of the arena and shook itself off. It had taken damage from the blast, however it still had some distance at the time of the Explosion. Most of the damage had come from the shock wave ripping through the water.

Across the field, the smoke cleared to reveal Shedinja, still fine and floating above the surface.

What?

"Incredible!" Said the umpire who rooted for James, "Shedinja seems to have used its ghost characteristics and ability to receive no damage from its Explosion attack!"

At least he wasn't bias.

"We gotta be careful this time," James said, "Sharpedo, Crunch!" Sharpedo swam forward, then under and down to the very bottom of the tank. From there it rocketed upward, shooting out of the water. Shedinja readied itself for an Explosion, however Sharpedo was too quick for it. The brutal pokémon had already gripped the bug in its jaws when it blew up, and the close range explosion knocked Sharpedo from the conscious world

But it took Shedinja with it.

"Both pokémon are unable to battle!" The umpire said, holding up both flags.

"One pokémon each!" Scott was saying, "But of course, Matt has the advantage, his pokémon not being tired from battling-"

"Latios!" James shouted, and the resulting scream from the crowd drowned Scott Johnston out.

"Cacturne!" Matt said. The grass type took Weavile's place on the icefloe. James couldn't help smiling.

"DragonBreath!" he said.

"Faint Attack!" Matt said. The DragonBreath, perfectly aimed, somehow missed, and Cacturne suddenly landed a kick on Latios, high in the air. It landed back on the icefloe, but missed its footing and fell over.

"Again." James said. Latios flew up then nosedived, shooting fire down as it went. The flames encased Cacturne, but it didn't stop the pokémon from jumping up and landing a Needle Arm when Latios had come too close. The eon pokémon flew a few metres away, and shook itself off. James had to admit that Cacturne was good – but it was too little, too late for Matt.

"Draco Meteor!" James said.

"Bullet Seed!" Matt said. The seeds were blown away by the comets coming from Latios, which knocked it off the ice. Latios swooped down, pulled the kicking Cacturne from the water and threw it onto the floe, before blasting it with fire again.

"Cacturne is unable to battle!" The umpire announced, holding up James' flag, "Latios and James are the winners!"

That was it – he had beaten the impossable trainer.


End file.
